Sharks Awarded No. 4 Pick in 2023 Draft

 The 2023 NHL Draft Lottery results are in, and the Sharks have stayed put with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft. 

This result shouldn't come as much of a surprise since they were initially expected to land the fourth overall pick in the projections. I'm okay with this; the Sharks may not be getting Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli, but at least they didn't fall any further. There is plenty of talent in this year's draft class, so the Sharks should still be in good hands here. According to many analysts and experts, by staying put with the fourth overall pick, the Sharks are expected to go with either Leo Carlsson, Matvei Michkov, or Will Smith with their first selection in this year's draft. However, none of these three draft prospects are expected to be NHL-ready anytime soon after they are drafted. If I had to choose who I think the Sharks will select with the fourth overall pick this year, I think they will go with Russian winger Matvei Michkov, as he has elite-level talent and fits the timeline of when the Sharks expect to be back in the playoff picture once more. 

As for the biggest headlines surrounding this year's draft lottery, the Chicago Blackhawks have won the draft lottery and the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, moving up two spots to number one. The Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets were the only other teams to move positions from their initial odds in the draft lottery, each falling one spot to numbers two and three respectively. The Blackhawks being rewarded the no. 1 pick isn't ideal for the rest of the league, especially since Chicago has officially moved on from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and is recently coming off of a scandal in which they covered up a sexual assault/abuse incident during the 2010 season when they won their first of three Stanley Cups last decade. However, as much as many fans of other teams may not like this, I'm happy that Bedard won't be in the Pacific Division on one of the Sharks' rivals, which would be more upsetting. 

We will have to wait until late June to see how this year's NHL draft plays out. In the meantime, here is the full 2023 NHL Draft Lottery results: 

1) Chicago Blackhawks

2) Anaheim Ducks

3) Columbus Blue Jackets

4) San Jose Sharks

5) Montreal Canadiens

6) Arizona Coyotes

7) Philadelphia Flyers

8) Washington Capitals

9) Detroit Red Wings

10) St. Louis Blues

11) Vancouver Canucks

12) Arizona Coyotes (from the Ottawa Senators)

13) Buffalo Sabres

14) Pittsburgh Penguins

15) Nashville Predators

16) Calgary Flames

Sources: San Jose Sharks social media pages, NHL Discussion via Instagram, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter

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