'Dream' trade proposal involves Blackhawks giving Connor Bedard draft rights to Predators

The Blackhawks have every right to scope out potential trade offers for the No. 1 pick this month. Chicago fans saw the Chicago Bears trade away the first pick in this year’s draft. Bedard himself even said he’s not assured of being a Blackhawk after the draft.

Does Connor Bedard end up with the Nashville Predators?

Joe Yerdon with Bleacher Report wrote about “dream scenarios” for the Blackhawks this offseason. Yerdon suggested the Blackhawks could find a trade partner for the No. 1 pick with the Predators. The Predators have 13 picks in this year’s draft, so they have a lot to offer Davidson:

How many draft picks in one draft would it take to land the first one overall? The Nashville Predators should give it a shot this year to find out.

The Predators have 13 picks in the 2023 draft and Nashville’s new GM Barry Trotz made it a point at the press conference introducing new coach Andrew Brunette that he wants the Predators to score goals and keep up with the rest of the NHL. What better way to do that than trading all 13 picks for Chicago’s No. 1 pick to take Connor Bedard?

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Making that kind of move would give Chicago 24 picks in the 2023 draft which would also be incredible in itself and more than enough to wheel and deal to their hearts content throughout the two days of the draft.

Here’s the proposed trade.

The Chicago Blackhawks receive:

• 13 2023 NHL Draft picks from the Predators

The Nashville Predators receive:

• Connor Bedard

The Chicago Blackhawks would have a whole new team

The Blackhawks would be able to amass an army of potential talent this year if they took this offer. The trade isn’t likely. As Yerdon wrote, this would be a pretty bold move for two general managers to make, and it's unlikely that the Blackhawks will trade the chance to draft Bedard away.

However, if the Predators offer all 13 picks, the Blackhawks might have to consider it. Yerdon made the point earlier in the article that Connor McDavid, the best player in the sport, hasn’t brought the Edmonton Oilers a Stanley Cup. And the Blackhawks can’t be sure that Bedard will ever be of McDavid’s caliber. Having several elite players from this year’s draft could go a long way to fixing the Blackhawks for the long term by filling multiple gaps in the roster.