In two days, the 2023 NHL Draft commences at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Predators will host the two-day event on Wednesday night and Thursday after school’s out for summer. I’m sure Alice Cooper wouldn’t mind.

The biggest story remains Connor Bedard. The most hyped prospect since Connor McDavid will go number one overall to the Blackhawks. They won the Draft Lottery last month, moving past the Blue Jackets, who dropped to number four despite having the best chances.

Instead, the Canadian franchise center will play in a major market with Chicago. A franchise that once had dynamic duo Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will make the transition to building around Bedard. An electrifying player who will score a lot of goals due to his game-breaking speed and quick release. He is also a superb passer who makes teammates better. The former U20 World Junior Championships Tournament MVP will be a great player. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly the Blackhawks improve.

While Hawks fans are blessed to get such a generational talent after having Kane and Toews lead their team to three Stanley Cups, what happens following that pick remains to be seen. The Ducks have a tough decision to make. While most pundits have Adam Fantilli projected to go second, there’s talk that they like Leo Carlson. The Swedish center who plays a two-way game. He’s rated behind Matvei Michkov and Fantilli.

ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan had some good information about what the Ducks could be thinking. The question is if they are going to select Carlson, would they be open to trading down if one of the rumored teams (Canadiens, Flyers) are interested in trading up to grab Michkov? It all depends on what GM Pat Verbeek is thinking.

At the moment, the Ducks pick second, followed by the rival Sharks at number three. Rounding out the top five are the Blue Jackets and Canadiens. San Jose, Montreal, and Arizona, who select sixth, each have multiple picks in the first round. The Flyers also do with their number 7 and 22. Montreal and St. Louis each has as many as three. Of course, the Blackhawks have another pick later in the opening round. The Red Wings also pick twice.

The host Predators boast picks 15 and 24. New GM Barry Trotz would like to trade up into the top four. I can see wanting to make a splash with plenty of fans in the building. As special a talent as Bedard is, the aforementioned Michkov, Fantilli, and Carlson all have the chance to be difference makers in the draft.

With Nashville already moving on from Ryan Johansen by sending him to the Avalanche in what amounted to clearing some cap space with them picking up half the $8 million tab, they’re going to be busy this off-season. The roster should have a different look than last season. Both captain Roman Josi and new European scout, former franchise netminder Pekka Rinne, are expected to announce the 24th pick. That should make for a pretty cool moment.

One other note regarding whether or not interested teams can successfully move up into the top five. According to Kaplan, it won’t be easy due to a weak free agent class.

She also has good information on the rumored trades that could take place. Kevin Hayes could be headed to the Blues. That depends if Torey Krug decides to change his mind and wave his no-trade clause. Pierre-Luc Dubois is supposed to be part of a fire sale in Winnipeg. The Kings are very interested. After moving solid right defenseman Sean Durzi to the Coyotes for a second round pick to free up a spot for Brandt Clarke, they are expected to be in play to acquire Dubois, who wants an extension on a contender.

At the moment, there’s nothing new to report on the Tony DeAngelo trade to the Hurricanes. Due to an absurd rule, that means he can’t be traded back to a team that had him less than a calendar year ago. The Flyers must hold off before dealing him back to Carolina. This is from the same league that allows teams to take full advantage of a flawed system by putting players on LTIR. They then magically reappear in the playoffs. It’s also an unfair cap system due to teams taking advantage of their locations in tax-free states. The playing field needs to be level.

In regards to some of the other highly rated prospects who could hear their names go in the top 10, they include American forwards Will Smith and Ryan Leonard. Smith is expected to go a bit higher. Austrian David Reinbacher could be the first defenseman off the board. He developed in Switzerland. Dalibor Dvorsky and Zach Benson are two names to keep an eye on. So is Matthew Wood.

As far as the Rangers go, they do have the 23rd pick. Most observers believe the need is a center due to the ages of Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck. Of the two suggested in a mock draft on NHL.com, I like the sound of Wisconsin product Charlie Stramel. I’m glad they held onto their selection. They don’t have many picks. But having one in Round One is a plus for an organization thin on young talent.

The Devils don’t have a first round pick, having included it in the blockbuster trade for Timo Meier. The Sharks have the 26th pick. Meier remains unsigned. We’ll see if the two sides make any progress on a long-term contract.

The Islanders also don’t have a first round pick. It’s not good, considering they’re an aging roster that’s paper thin on the farm. They’re locked in on center tandem Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat. Brock Nelson as well. Unless they can find a taker for Jean-Gabriel Pageau, there isn’t much wiggle room on the cap.

After a step in the right direction, the Sabres own the 13th pick. A team that’s on the way back up thanks to star forward Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and key defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, things are on the upswing for Buffalo. They just missed the playoffs. However, Devon Levi is the goalie of the future. With good prospects in the system, including Jiri Kulich, the Sabres could be a key move or two away from finally returning to the postseason. They will need to add another defenseman and a better veteran goalie to improve the roster.

An interesting development out of Boston is that Taylor Hall could become a cap casualty. They can’t keep everyone. Dmitry Orlov was a really good pickup from Washington. Can they free up enough salary to keep the key defenseman?

Updating our story, the Bruins have indeed dealt Hall to the Blackhawks. It was a salary dump that freed up $6 million. Chicago picks up the former MVP and the free agent rights to Nick Foligno in exchange for the rights to restricted free agents Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula. Frank Seravalli has the details.

I guess they decided not to trade Linus Ullmark. He’s expected to win the Vezina tonight at the NHL Awards. They can have him and younger understudy Jeremy Swayman split duties in goal. That also means Brad Marchand will probably remain a Bruin. What isn’t known is whether or not Patrice Bergeron played his final game. It’s up to the 37-year-old. He’s a future Hall of Famer who’s won a Cup with five Selkes, which could be six after tonight. One of the finest two-way centers to ever play the sport, his legacy is cemented.

The Bruins could lose both Bergeron and veteran center David Krejci, who successfully returned after going home to play in the Czech Republic. There could be more changes in store. Tyler Bertuzzi is also unrestricted. After a strong postseason showing in the first round upset to the Panthers, he should draw considerable interest.

With the activity picking up with Hall moving on to the Windy City, the excitement will pick up over the next few days. Stay tuned.