NHL Draft Prop Bets: Options for Columbus Blue Jackets at No. 3 Overall?

The NHL Draft Lottery is done — and so is the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. Who do the latest NHL Draft prop bets have the Columbus Blue Jackets taking at No. 3? 

Unfortunately for the Columbus Blue Jackets — who had the second-best chance (13.5%) of landing the generational talent — the ball didn’t drop their way on Monday night. 

Bedard, thought to be a rare talent, is expected to go first overall to Chicago. But Columbus will have plenty of top talents available at No. 3.

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Let’s look at who they might take with the third overall pick.

Columbus Blue Jackets NHL Draft Props: Adam Fantilli or Leo Carlsson the Answer at No. 3?  

Not only did the Columbus Blue Jackets miss out on Connor Bedard, but by falling to three in the draft order, they’ll likely be robbed of projected No. 2 pick Adam Fantilli.

Fantilli is fresh off winning the Hobey Baker Award following his 65 points in 36 college games and would have been a nice consolation prize for the center-starved Jackets.

But with the Anaheim Ducks likely to scoop him up with the second pick, where does that leave Columbus? Many feel the answer lies with Leo Carlsson.

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Carlsson has been a force in Sweden’s top pro league and would provide the Jackets with the franchise center they need. The 18-year-old has excellent size (6-foot-3, 198 pounds) and projects as a two-way player with plenty of offensive upside.

Bet on the NHL Draft: Could Columbus Take Will Smith?

Will Smith is another center with top-tier talent and elite puck skills. The offensive stud racked up 127 points (51 goals, 76 assists) in 60 games for the US National U18 Team and 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) in 20 games for the USNTDP Juniors.

He also tore up the World U18 Championships, earning MVP while tying Jack Hughes’ tournament scoring record. Smith, a Boston College recruit, won’t be ready for the NHL until at least 2024.

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2023 NHL Draft Details

There will be no suspense about whom the Chicago Blackhawks will take with the No. 1 pick, but there will undoubtedly be some surprises with the rest of the field. Here are the details of how it will all go down this year.

• Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee 
•  When: June 28-29, 2023 (Round 1, June 28; Rounds 2-7, June 29)
•  Eligibility: Players born between Jan. 1, 2003, and Sept. 15, 2005, are eligible for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Undrafted (non-North American) players born in 2002 are also eligible.

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NHL Draft Order

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 (via OTT)
13. Buffalo Sabres
14. Pittsburgh Penguins
15. Nashville Predators
16. Calgary Flames
17. Detroit Red Wings (via NYI)
18. Winnipeg Jets
19. Chicago Blackhawks (via TB)
20. Minnesota Wild
21. Columbus Blue Jackets (via LA)
22. New York Rangers
23. St. Louis Blues (via DAL)
24. St. Louis Blues (via TOR)
25. San Jose Sharks (via NJ)
26. Colorado Avalanche
27. Vegas Golden Knights
28. Toronto Maple Leafs (via BOS)
29. Seattle Kraken
30. Carolina Hurricanes
31. Montreal Canadiens (via FLA)
32. Nashville Predators (vis EDM)

— Article contributed by Ryan Hagen