NFL
By Jesse Rosales
American Thanksgiving has come and gone and while I know I’m thankful for the amazing level of hockey being played right now in the NHL, I know the league, and specifically the Chicago Blackhawks are thankful for 1 specific person… Connor Bedard.
Bedard is the most hype prospect since another Connor (McDavid) came into the league. He has the skating ability, vision, and arguably one of the most dangerous shots in the entire NHL. We discussed which team needed Connor Bedard the most last year, and the Blackhawks are certainly reaping those benefits. But, with such lofty expectations, can Connor Bedard ever truly live up to this kind of hype? Let’s dive a little deeper into the numbers.
Connor Bedard Stats
To start, let’s just get some raw numbers out there. Connor Bedard currently is tied for 14th in the league with 10 goals and adds 6 assists for a total of 16 points through 17 games. That currently leads all rookies in both categories and puts him at just under a point per game which is super impressive. As great as the stats are, it has equated to many wins for the Blackhawks who are currently 5-12 with a goal differential of -20 are dead last in the Central Division.
Bedard himself is -8 in plus/minus rating which isn’t shocking given that he is a rookie after all. Being able to develop as a 2-way centerman will really help both his own growth and success, as well as his teams. As a team, the Blackhawks have scored 43 goals which means Bedard makes up 23.2% of all the team’s offensive production. That, in addition to the many highlight reel goals, means to me that Bedard is far ahead of where many, including myself, had him after the first few weeks of the season.
Perhaps the one stat that really is showing growing pains for Connor Bedard is faceoff percentages. He is currently just over 39% winning faceoffs. The best in the business are around 55-58%. He has a ways to go in that regard as far as being a true centerman, but I’m sure that its only a matter of time before he stops looking like a true rookie in the face-off circle.
Connor Bedard Comparison to Other Greats
Wayne Gretzky was recently on TNT and said that Connor Bedard may actually even be better than we all thought! Coming from The Great One, that carries a certain amount of weight that makes you stop and think about things.
Bedard even better than we thought?!
Wayne Gretzky and the #NHLonTNT boys break down Connor Bedard's blazing hot start
pic.twitter.com/QCD8VHcAIC
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 16, 2023
So thinking about that, let’s look back and see how Gretzky and McDavid both faired in their first few weeks of an NHL season. McDavid played in only 45 games in his rookie year due to injury, but only scored 16 goals. He did have 32 assists for a total of 48 points. Right out of the gate, McDavid was considered more of a playmaker than goal scorer. He didn’t develop into that until much later in his career. That being said, for his rookie season he did average more than 1 point per game, which is very impressive. He came in 3rd place for the Calder Trophy that year even with the lack of games played.
Gretzky on the other hand had arguably the best rookie campaign of any player…. EVER. So that would be a decent measuring stick for Connor Bedard given the hype that surrounds him. Gretzky had 51 goals and 86 assists in 79 games played. He won the Hart trophy for the league’s most valuable player award but didn’t win the Calder Trophy that year after being deemed ineligible due to his experience playing in the WHL the season before. Gretzky averaged 1.73 points per game that season which is still the highest for any rookie.
So what is reasonable for Connor Bedard?
Obviously, Connor Bedard is not on pace to challenge the rookie season of Wayne Gretzky, but he definitely could fall somewhere between McDavid and Gretzky if things continue to progress at the rate they currently are. That in itself is saying a lot. I actually agree with Wayne when he said Connor Bedard might even be better than what we all thought. He certainly has impressed me and I would consider myself to not be one of the ones on the heavy hype bandwagon. I’m a “show me” first kind of guy.
Not only is Bedard showing he can do it, but he’s showing he has a lot of untapped potential that is just waiting to surface. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds for Connor Bedard as he continues to surpass expectations. He’s not who we thought he was….. he’s better.
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