The Blackhawks earned the rights to whoever they want to kick off the 2023 NHL entry draft. They earned the No. 1 pick in the draft on Monday, giving them the rights to draft highly-touted prospect, Connor Bedard.
"Like Kyle Davidson said, 'It's one piece, but it's a huge piece,' and it's a great start," Chris Chelios said to Mully & Haugh on 670 the Score.
Bedard, 17, is one of the most highly-anticipated prospects in NHL history. Alongside the likes of Connor McDavid and others before him, Bedard is expected to make a significant impact immediately on whichever team decides to draft him.
As for the Blackhawks, who have been publicly rebuilding their roster since the injection of Kyle Davidson as general manager, Bedard would only help speed up the process for them, according to Chelios.
"In 3-4 years, at least three years as a playoff contender," Chelios said of the Hawks' timeline. "It could be quick. You never know. But I'm just gonna put a number, I say three years they should be a playoff contender anyway."
RELATED: How Connor Bedard will change life for Hawks, on and off the ice
The Hawks recently finished jettisoning the members of their dynasty from the early 2010s. Before the end of the regular season, the team announced they would not be re-signing Jonathan Toews after the season, making the team officially free of any members from the dynasty years.
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As Davidson said then, the Hawks are committed to a new era of Chicago hockey that is focused on giving younger players an opportunity to step onto the ice and into leadership roles.
For Bedard, Chelios said the WHL prospect will step into the Hawks' lineup immediately upon joining the team.
"Absolutely. You can't not put him in the lineup. The No. 1 pick is the No. 1 pick," Chelios said.
Bedard joined the WHL when he was 15 years old, joining the likes of only three other players, including McDavid, who received an exception to join the league a year before most players.
This past season, during 57 games in the WHL, he's notched 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists). He averages an uncanny 2.51 points per game in the WHL, evidence of his readiness to join the big leagues.
One concern some scouts have raised is his size. He possesses an all-around skillset, but his height (5-foot-9) scares some outsiders into thinking he might not physically adapt to the NHL. Fear no more. Bedard, while being on the shorter side, is 185 pounds. He's a muscular behemoth with legs the size of tree trunks.
To put it into perspective, Patrick Kane entered the league around the same height as Bedard, yet weighed ~160 pounds. How did Kane turn out for the league?
"I don't think it's gonna be an issue for Bedard," Chelios said of his height. "He's a special player. He's gonna be one of those guys that it won't take him long to adjust to the speed and the pace of the NHL."