Projected 1st overall pick Connor Bedard reportedly passed on an opportunity to play with a top Leafs prospect
It's an important summer coming up for Regina Pats forward Connor Bedard, who is expected to be drafted 1st overall in June. Bedard led the WHL in scoring in 2022-23, registering an astonishing 71 goals and 72 assists for a total of 143 points - 36 points better than the next closest scorer, Prince George's Chase Wheatcroft, who notched just 107 points this season.
Prior to the deadline, Bedard had the opportunity to relocate from a middling Pats team to a powerhouse Kamloops Blazers team, which would have given him a much better shot at winning a championship. However, Bedard chose to stand pat (pun intended), rejecting a deal to Kamloops, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
Had he agreed to the move, which would have yielded a substantial return for Regina, Bedard would have had the opportunity to play with 2022 top Leafs draft pick, Fraser Minten. There's no guarantee that the two forwards would have played on a line together, but they would have almost certainly netted a ton of power play time together, which could have done wonders to boost Minten's point total.
It's certainly fun to think of what could have been, but even without Bedard around to inflate his totals, Minten still tallied 31 goals and 36 assists for a total of 67 points in just 57 games this season. Certainly nothing to scoff at.
