Connor Bedard's size could be an issue for some teams, according to a former NHL scout, who believes he could slip

17-year-old phenom Connor Bedard is preparing to take center stage with Team Canada at the 2022 WJC make-up tournament, which begins today. Beyond the tournament, he'll focus on putting together the strongest season possible with the Regina Pats to ensure that he, and not fellow phenom Matvei Michkov, goes first overall next summer.

There are absolutely no doubts about his game from a skill perspective. His size, on the other hand, is a bit of a question mark for a center. Standing at just 5'9, 181 lbs, if he doesn't go through a late growth spurt, Bedard is unlikely to play center in the NHL, which could end up impacting his draft status, according to former NHL scout Grant McCagg during a recent appearance on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro




Now, obviously, we should take anything McCagg says with a grain of salt. Bedard is without question the clear frontrunner to go first overall, with Michkov the likely number two. If one of the other slides, it is likely to be Michkov because of the length of time he'll remain in Russia. That said, I think just about every NHL club would be happy to wait a few years for the next Kirill Kaprizov (or better).

If Bedard can make it to 5'10 or 5'11, there are plenty of centers around the league who come in at that mark. At worst, he'll end up being an elite winger. Personally, I've always believed that drafting for skill is the best strategy. Drafting for position instead of taking the best player available is a practice I'll never understand.