Photo credit: Keith Hershmiller

By Regan Bartel

Bragging rights if trade isn't made

Regina wise to stand Pat on dealing Bedard

Jul 31, 2023 | 7:00 AM

I told ya! This was the 5th most-read article on RocketFAN when it first appeared on November 28, 2022. 

Regina Pats GM John Paddock was quick to douse any flames over the suggestion the WHL team is considering trading marquee forward Connor Bedard.

When asked the question in Vancouver last Thursday, where the Pats opened a BC Division road trip, Paddock called the question ‘stupid’.

The rumours of dealing the 5’10, 170-pound forward surfaced in Kamloops where the Blazers are attempting to bolster their roster to host the 2023 Memorial Cup.

It would take a truckload of draft picks and possibly shares in Blazers’ owner Tom Gaglardi’s hotel (Sandman Hotels) and restaurant chains (Moxies/Denny’s Canada) for a deal to even be considered.

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For those who have been living under a rock since Bedard was granted exceptional status in March of 2020 to play in the WHL at 15, the North Vancouver resident has been mentioned as the prohibitive favourite to go first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The 17-year-old will make his one and only appearance as a junior player in Kelowna, Tuesday night, when his Pats face the Kelowna Rockets.

It is a chance for hockey fans to watch the generational player for 25 bucks, as opposed to the hundreds of dollars when he makes the jump to the NHL as early as next season.

The game at Prospera Place is a sellout.

Why would the Pats consider trading Bedard in the first place?

While not a contender to win it all this season, I don’t think that should matter.

While a kings ransom would stockpile the teams prospect shelves for years to come, the WHL’s oldest franchise would lose the bragging rights of having Bedard play with just one team – them.

It goes far deeper than that, though.

How good will it look on the Pats organization when an NHL general manager, who has the luxury of having the first overall selection in June’s entry draft, steps up to the mic in Nashville, Tennessee, with the hockey world watching and listening intently – ‘The (insert team name) select, with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, from the Regina Pats, Connor Bedard.”

Priceless. Something draft picks can’t even buy.

It would be a massive moment for the Pats, who haven’t had a player chosen first overall in 43 years, when the Montreal Canadiens selected Doug Wickenheiser with the first overall pick in 1980.

Name the best hockey player in the world right now.

The answer is Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid.

How many junior teams did he play for in his time in the Ontario Hockey League?

One – the Erie Otters.

Eight years ago, reports suggesting that McDavid too, heading into the 2015 NHL Draft, should be dealt by Erie.

The Otters didn’t budge.

How many junior teams did Sydney Crosby play for?

One – the Rimouski Oceanic.

While tempting, considering the Pats are a middle of the pack team with 11 wins in 24 games, if they indeed catch lightning in a bottle come playoff time, who knows how far they can go with number 98 leading the way.

Connor Bedard was drafted into the WHL as a member of the Regina Pats, and unless a personal request is made, he should exit the league the same way he entered it.