The 2023 NHL draft will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on June 28-29. At a date to be determined in April, the league will hold its annual draft lottery consisting of two draws to determine the order for the 16 teams that failed to qualify for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Under league rules, a team can move up no more than 10 spots if it wins one of the two lottery draws. The team that finishes with the worst record has an 18.5 chance of winning the lottery. A team also cannot win the lottery more than twice in five years.

Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League is projected to be the top prospect in the 2023 draft. The 17-year-old center currently leads all WHL scorers with 27 goals and 64 points. He has the potential to become a future NHL superstar.

Now that we're more than a quarter of the way into the 2022-23 NHL season, it's becoming clear which teams could wind up in the lottery. That includes the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, two former Western Conference powerhouses who have seen better days.

The Ducks and Sharks join four other clubs in our ranking of the teams that desperately need to win the 2023 NHL draft lottery. Each team's current record, recent lack of postseason appearances and amount of promising young talent factored into this ranking.

If you agree or disagree with our selections, please let us know in the comment section below.

6. Philadelphia Flyers

In 2019-20, the Philadelphia Flyers seemed to be heading in the right direction. After seven mediocre seasons in which they missed the playoffs four times and got bounced from the opening round three times, they finished fourth overall in the Eastern Conference and reached the second round of the postseason.

Today, the Flyers are a mess. They missed the postseason in 2021 and 2022 and traded away captain Claude Giroux before the 2022 trade deadline.

Salary-cap constraints limited general manager Chuck Fletcher's efforts to improve the roster in the offseason. Injuries have walloped the roster this season, with core players such as Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis sidelined indefinitely.

Despite hiring two-time Jack Adams Trophy winner John Tortorella as head coach, the injury-ravaged Flyers have only nine wins and 23 points in 27 games and sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Fletcher recently admitted the Flyers need to reestablish their identity, but he doesn't seem intent on a full roster teardown.

Nevertheless, the Flyers need a foundation piece to build upon going forward. They've drafted Joel Farabee, Cam York and Morgan Frost in recent years. Sidelined prospect Bobby Brink and promising 2022 draft pick Cutter Gauthier could also become key players in management's plans.

The last time the Flyers held the first overall pick was in 1975, long before the draft lottery came into being. Winning the first overall pick could give them a future superstar to excite their demanding fanbase while buying management time to build up the roster.

5. San Jose Sharks

When he took over as the San Jose Sharks' general manager in July, Mike Grier said he didn't believe the team needed a complete rebuild. However, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported in late October that he was willing to listen to trade offers on almost everyone on his roster, including superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson.

Grier might entertain trade offers, but it doesn't mean he's actively shopping high-salaried veterans like Karlsson, center Logan Couture and blueliner Marc-Édouard Vlasic. Nevertheless, his willingness to at least listen suggests a shift toward a more aggressive retooling of the roster.

It wasn't that long ago that the Sharks dominated the Western Conference. They finished first or second in their division 10 times from 2003-04 to 2018-19 and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016. However, those days are now behind them. With eight wins and 21 points in 29 games, they're likely to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

The Sharks have never had the first overall pick in the NHL draft. They have a promising youngster in William Eklund who has the potential to become a top-six winger, but they lack a true "can't-miss" prospect who could become their next franchise player.

Winning the draft lottery could provide the Sharks with that young foundational star to retool around. That player could fit in well with established veterans such as Karlsson, Couture and Tomas Hertl while smoothing the transition toward younger talent.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets are retooling their roster rather than engaging in a full rebuild. General manager Jarmo Kekäläinen surprised the hockey world during the offseason by signing scoring winger Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year contract.

Despite missing the playoffs last season, the Jackets' promising 81-point campaign suggested they had postseason potential. The addition of Gaudreau and the re-signing of Patrik Laine seemed to indicate better days were ahead.

However, the Jackets stumbled out of the gate this season before injuries to key players like goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, defenseman Zach Werenski and forwards such as Laine and Jakub Voracek depleted their roster. They're at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with only eight wins and 18 points in 25 games.

It's been 20 years since the Blue Jackets last had the first overall pick, which they used to select Rick Nash, While they already have notable established talent like Gaudreau, Laine and Werenski, winning the 2023 draft lottery could give them a marketable homegrown star to skate alongside promising kids like Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger and David Jiricek.

The Blue Jackets could also use the first overall selection to address their long-standing lack of a true first-line center. Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli of the University of Michigan could be the long-awaited answer to their prayers.

3. Chicago Blackhawks

When the Chicago Blackhawks hired Kyle Davidson as their new general manager in March, he told reporters a roster rebuild was coming. He wasted little time keeping that promise, trading goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and forwards Brandon Hagel and Kirby Dach for draft picks and prospects.

Once considered the NHL's dominant franchise after winning three Stanley Cups in six seasons from 2009-10 to 2014-15, the Blackhawks have missed the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. Despite a promising 4-2-0 start to this season, they're near the bottom of the standings with only seven wins and 18 points in 25 games.

The Blackhawks will likely become sellers at the March 3 trade deadline. Aging stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are slated to become unrestricted free agents in July and could be shopped for future assets. The same fate probably awaits fellow UFA forwards Max Domi and Andreas Athanasiou.

Davidson has proven to be a savvy dealer. Entering the first round of the 2022 draft with no first-round picks, he acquired three from the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs and used them to select Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel. He also has two first-round picks in the 2023 draft.

The Blackhawks will need a new franchise player to build around as they once did with Kane and Toews. They chose Kane the last time they had the first overall selection in 2007, and he helped them become champions within three years.

Winning the 2023 lottery could give them a shot at history repeating itself.

2. Anaheim Ducks

Since his hiring in February, Anaheim Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has been rebuilding his roster with young talent. Forwards Trevor Zegras, Troy Terry and Mason McTavish are taking on larger roles in the lineup. So was defenseman Jamie Drysdale before he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum.

Verbeek also shipped out impending free agents Josh Manson, Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell before last season's trade deadline for draft picks and prospects. He could do the same this season with John Klingberg and Kevin Shattenkirk as well as veterans such as Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg, who have a year remaining on their contracts.

The rebuilding process has taken a predictable toll upon the Ducks' on-ice fortunes this season. They're last in the overall standings with seven wins and 17 points in 27 games. Barring a miraculous reversal of fortune, they're destined to miss the playoffs for the fifth straight year.

Once a league powerhouse that finished first in their division from 2012-13 to 2016-17, the Ducks faced a long overdue rebuild before Verbeek arrived. With their sole Stanley Cup championship in 2007 fading into history, it's going to take time for this club to build itself into a dominant force.

The Ducks possess a good young core with Zegras, Terry, McTavish and Drysdale. Promising prospects such as Nathan Gaucher, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zellweger could one day join them. Winning the draft lottery for the first time in franchise history could land them a potential franchise player to accelerate their rebuild.

1. Arizona Coyotes

The long-struggling Arizona Coyotes have continued to rebuild since Bill Armstrong was hired as general manager in September 2020. While they've made some improvement this season, they're still near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with seven wins and 18 points in 24 games.

Over the past 10 seasons, the Coyotes missed the playoffs nine times. They're likely to do so again this season. That could give them an opportunity to win the draft lottery and the No. 1 pick for the first time in franchise history.

Thanks to Armstrong's efforts and those of his predecessor, John Chayaka, the Coyotes possess several good young players in Clayton Keller, Jakob Chychrun, Matias Maccelli, J.J. Moser and Dylan Guenther. 2022 first-round selections Logan Cooley, Conor Geekie and Maveric Lamoureux could one day join them in forming the core of a playoff contender.

Armstrong has also stocked up with draft picks, carrying 14 in the 2024 draft and 10 in 2025. However, he has just seven in the 2023 draft and only one in the first round. He could bring in more by honoring Chychrun's trade request and by shopping impending free-agent defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.

Landing the first overall pick could provide the Coyotes with a future homegrown superstar, someone to not only speed up the rebuild but also excite the fanbase. After years of futility and missed postseasons, this franchise needs something to get excited about.

Stats and standings (as of Wednesday) via NHL.com. Salary info via CapFriendly. Draft histories via HockeyDB.com. Additional info via Hockey Reference.