The Spittin Chiclets Boys Lay Out The NIGHTMARE Scenario For Chicago

"After what happened with the Chicago Blackhawks and that whole thing (Beach) there's no way they are getting Bedard"--RA/Whit

Rear Ad and Whit have their tin foil hats on this week on Chiclets. Bedard is in that rare air with Crosby and McDavid that can truly change the trajectory of your franchise, as they said. Not all 1st overall picks are created equal. This is one of those drafts where you NEED to get the first overall pick. I LOVE Adam Fantilli. I think he will be a superstar in his own right. There is still a gap between them though. Bedard puts you in a position to basically be a top team in the league. Fantilli might make you into the Minnesota Wild. Good every year. Never quite good enough. 

So then the question becomes...would Bettman really rig this thing against the Blackhawks? I can promise you that the other players in the NHL want the Blackhawks to be good because it is good for their bottom line. The NHLPA gets absolutely FUCKED when smaller market teams are at the top of the league. Those teams get lower ratings, they sell tickets for cheaper, they sell fewer jerseys etc etc etc. The Hockey-Related-Revenue from Bedard on the Blackhawks vs Bedard on the Coyotes would be astronomical and the players wouldn't have to worry about their escrow money as much. 

Having said that...Gary Bettman is all powerful. The TV Deals are locked in. He has his 32 teams now. Bettman is the only commissioner the NHL has ever had. He's been there since 1993 and in true dracula form, he seems nearly impossible to get rid of. I also know for a FACT that Bettman is vindictive. It would not surprise me if he still has an axe to grind with the Blackhawks. I bet if Bettman was honest he would want to give Arizona Bedard in order inject that failed franchise with steroids and then Fantilli makes the Hawks a real market again and is a foundational piece. A piece that can justify more national tv games, winter classics, and playoff runs that generate a ton of money. I honestly believe that is Gary's dream come true. 

And his Gary is the most powerful person in the sport, Gary will get what he wants, which makes me think the Chiclets guys are on to something. It's something I've been thinking and worried about and pushing it out of my brain as a crazy conspiracy theory, but it makes too much sense. And with the lottery there is always plausible deniability. Oh you didn't win even though you were the worst? Well, tough shit. You only had an 18.5% chance of winning it anyways.