Fans who have watched Connor Bedard thus far this season have seen him take a big jump in almost every aspect of his game. He has become the superstar the Blackhawks selected first overall, and is jump-starting the talk about his “generational talent” that we read so much about before he was drafted.
Bedard has also gone from “a guy Canada might think about but it’s a long shot” to “a guy who should be on the Olympic roster” in a few short months of dominant hockey.
With Bedard on the sidelines because of injury for the next couple weeks, the Blackhawks are going to have to figure out how to generate offense without him. There have been a few posts about just how good Bedard has been to start the season in the last couple days that are worth some your time and consideration.
Bedard’s outstanding start
First off, a really good deep dive piece from Paul Pidutti (aka AdjustedHockey) at Daily Faceoff about the remarkable seasons being produced by four emerging NHL stars. “Using era adjusted stats to level the intergenerational playing field, we’re exploring the feats of four phenoms: Matthew Schaefer (18 years old); Macklin Celebrini (19); Connor Bedard (20); and Leo Carlsson (21 next week). The future has arrived.”
Here’s part of what Pidutti wrote about Bedard’s season to
Bedard’s upper-body injury will temporarily halt a fun breakout by a special player saddled with immense expectations. An offseason focus on speed and explosiveness — supported by NHL Edge metrics — has been a key factor in Bedard’s glow up. Some of us thought his launch would happen last season but his sophomore showing didn’t move the needle. A slower but steady road to superstardom like Patrick Kane remained a great path. Instead, Bedard has gone nuclear through 31 games. The pace the third-year center is riding has few equals among 20-year-olds. Bedard’s era adjusted point rate stares up at only Gretzky and Crosby. Bedard’s sniping pace hangs with Alex Ovechkin’s 20-year-old rookie season. Take it away, Panger: “Holy jumpin’!” While Chicago is improving and new talent is marinating around Bedard, he’s often been a one-man show, dragging the Hawks from the NHL’s cellar.
The fine folks at JFresh shared this Bedard graphic on Wednesday morning on Twitter.
Bedard’s Olympic chances
Bedard’s injury may have caused some pause from a few folks out there regarding his shot at making Canada’s roster for the Olympics, especially because the roster will be announced on New Year’s Eve — before he’s expected to return to the Blackhawks’ lineup.
But, if he’s healthy by February, why wouldn’t Bedard be on the roster?
Before he got hurt, TSN’s Craig Button and Mike Johnson put together their updated consensus roster for Canada at the Olympics. They have Bedard playing the right wing on Canada’s top line with Sidney Crosby on the left side and Nathan MacKinnon between them. Oh my! Here’s their roster breakdown:
Matt Larkin at Daily Faceoff updated his roster projections for Canada on Tuesday. He does not have Bedard on the roster, but says he would be the toughest cut.
It’s been a ton of fun watching Connor Bedard level up into borderline superstardom this season, but I still expect Canada to bring only one of Bedard and Celebrini, and I believe Celebrini being a good soldier attending the 2025 World Championship will break the tie. Perhaps Bedard’s upper-body injury makes the decision easier, too.
The fabulous Dom Luszczyszyn updated his projections for Canada’s roster at the upcoming Winter Olympics at The Athletic on Wednesday morning. He has Bedard on a second line that I consider… well, dead sexy. Two Connors and a Macklin? Hoo boy!
Source: The AthleticHere’s part of what he wrote about Canada considering both Bedard and Macklin Celebrini for the roster:
Can you really bring both youngsters?
Yes, you can and should — although after doing the work, I can see why Connor Bedard’s case might be a little softer.
What Bedard and Macklin Celebrini are doing this year on two otherwise terrible teams has been out-of-this-world good. On a per-game basis, there’s an argument to be made that the only two Canadian forwards who bring more impact offensively are McDavid and MacKinnon. What they’ve done with so little help shouldn’t be ignored; it’s firepower that shouldn’t be left at home.
The question for both regards their defensive game. Their numbers aren’t great, but Celebrini has the tools while Bedard has made serious strides this season. Their defensive numbers would probably look a lot better if they had a single legit top-four defenseman to play with. On Team Canada, that obviously won’t be a problem and a shift to the wing also lessens their defensive load.
The other concern is where they fit in this lineup. I think the argument that they “can’t play in the bottom six” is genuine, but also silly considering who Canada’s other wingers are.
We’re going to have to wait until Dec. 31 to find out the final selections for Canada. Certainly, the remarkable start to the season has put Bedard not only in the conversation for the Olympics, but back into some elite, historic company for players at his current age.
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