The year of Connor Bedard is finally about to arrive at its anticlimactic ending, with the generational prospect joining the Avalanche’s division rival Chicago Blackhawks as the consensus No. 1 overall draft pick.
What follows — well, after apparent consensus No. 2 pick Adam Fantilli — is a ticking timer of a first round counting down toward the Avs and a decision.
Use No. 27 to bolster a weak prospect pool, or deploy it as part of a trade package for a ready-now NHL forward?
First-round pick trades on the draft floor aren’t nearly as common in the NHL as they are in the NBA, but Colorado’s front office shouldn’t be underestimated.