What can Connor Bedard bring to the Capitals?

Tomorrow (or today if you’re reading this on Monday), the Washington Capitals have a chance to select a generational talent that hasn’t been available to them since winning this type of thing in 2004. What’s at stake on Monday May 8? The NHL Draft Lottery and the chance to draft Connor Bedard.

Heading into the lottery, which is at 8 p.m. May 8 on ESPN, the Caps have the eighth best odds and a six percent chance at landing Bedard. But if you’re a non Caps fan you’re probably wondering why the Caps need TWO generational talents on the roster instead of one?

Besides bridging the gap between eras when the great eight hangs up his skates, Connor Bedard on a Capitals roster gives the team a chance to keep the window open a little bit wider in Ovechkin’s final years.

I’d imagine if the Caps were to win the lottery and select Bedard, he would start on the second line between Anthony Mantha and T.J. Oshie unless one of them gets traded (most likely Mantha).

They won’t start him on the top line yet next to Ovechkin. Even though Nicklas Backstrom makes it look easy, there’s nothing easy about playing on a line next to Ovi. So let the kid adjust to NHL ice and after about say two weeks then bump him up to the top line.

The Caps positioned themselves to get the eighth best odds and a six percent chance at Bedard by collectively stinking the rest of the season and dropping 14 of their final 18 games.

In addition to a 6.0 percent chance at Bedard, the Capitals have a 6.2 percent chance at landing the number two pick. If they were to land the second pick the consolation prize would be Adam Fantilli who won the Hobey Baker Award.

Now here’s where things get dicey. The Caps have a 54.4 percent chance to stay at eighth, a 30 percent chance of dropping to ninth, and a 3.2 percent chance of dropping to 10th and having us consume beverages for the wrong reason.

19 years ago the Caps won this lottery. And boy was it as sweet as winning the Powerball as they drafted Ovechkin. Back then the Caps had a 14 percent chance of winning and they leapfrogged the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks.

What Bedard could provide for the Caps besides the obvious youth and speed is offense that they lacked this past season. He could play center or wing depending on what the team needs. But a first line center of Ovechkin-Bedard and Tom Wilson has us all drooling.

Tomorrow is a big day for a lot of teams. May the odds and the ping pong balls be in the Caps favor.