C Connor Bedard (2023, 1st, CHI) Part 6

[centipede2233]

Yup, he drew one man out of posiyion then made an easy pass to a teammate in a great spot with time and ice to make a play. He made it look easy and of course it depends on what his linemate can do with the time and space provided, but it was perfect use of the other players on the ice. I think it was also Bedard who made the great zone entry to kick off the whole sequence.

Bedard made that whole shift happen IMO, that NOT a weak secondary assist.

I don’t want to overblow things, but his assist kind of reminded me of Lemiuex’s poke pass along the boards to a merging Gretzky in that ing
famous Gretzky to Lemieux winner in the 1987 Canada cup.

 

[Chelios]

People are still not getting what a smart player Bedard is. Every time I see him I get the sense he's got an almost Gretzky like quality to his game. Gretzky never really made spectacular plays, or overpowered the opposition with speed strength or dangles. He was just ahead of the play all the time and knew where to put the puck to create chances, so most of his points looked like "easy" plays where he didn't do much. Bedard has the ability to be ahead of the play in much the same way.


Anyway I'll just add the additional note that Bedard lead the Hawks in xGF% by a comfortable margin. For a very young player in his first NHL game to be a play driver like that is impressive even if he didn't end up scoring.

Good post. And all this with the Penguins pretty clearly making it a priority to take away his time and space, even at the expense of leaving others open. His shot is one of, if not the best, I have ever seen. And it is only his second best quality behind his IQ.

 

[TLEH]

So after 1 NHL game you have decided that he isn’t going to be two of the best players to ever play the game. Interesting.

 

[HeadLiceHatty]

Good post. And all this with the Penguins pretty clearly making it a priority to take away his time and space, even at the expense of leaving others open. His shot is one of, if not the best, I have ever seen. And it is only his second best quality behind his IQ.

His shot is better than Hull, Mario and Ovechkin in your opinion? lol

 

[OKR]

I think it was a solid debut, looked good and the talent was very clear to see, basically exactly what you should realistically expect from a highly-touted 1st pick.

But that assist was absolutely nothing special and had it been made by any other player nobody would even bat a eye. Pass like that happens literally in most of the games.

 

[Ezekial]

I think he's going to be an elite player, I don't see the generational ala Crosby / Mcdavid, same thing I said when I saw him play in Juniors. I see him more in the top 5 - 10 player tier than generational. Which is f***ing great for Blackhawks fans, surefire top tier talent to build around.

It's sad that the hype train got out of control and this isn't the standard. Kid is a top 10 in the league talent, that's an incredible prospect. People don't have to blow stuff out of proportion for no reason. He's going to be a top player in the league why does it have to be outright best?


I was talking to a casual fan and a not at all fan yesterday and the casual fan was saying he's the best prospect since Gretzky

 

[Bombshell11]

Its ok to love Bedard but why do you attack people who have a different point of view?
Whats up with the agenda talk? The only one with an agenda here is the NHL who are desperate to see Bedard excel.

Here is the only chance as humans we have to exercise our democracy and hear everyone's thoughts.

For some reason though, some of you decide to act as a Bastions for the rich and powerful and attack any thought that goes againt's their agenda.

So many attempts were made to discredit posters rather than providing a better argument.


For the matter, Bedard did not look good yesterday, he was staying away from contact, he did not provide good defensive support, his faceoffs were bad, the shots he took were not up to his level, he was getting rocked pretty hard. He did show some sweet moves but he doesn't have the speed to take advantage of the space he's creating, perhaps that will be fixed down the line.

Last year i said Slaf wasn't ready for the NHL from first day of Camp... what happend, he got rocked hard and concussed then injured and missed half the season.

In order for him to take advantage of his skills he needs to develop physically. He needs to be quicker, faster and stronger. If you say otherwise then you have your head deep into the sand.

 

[HeadLiceHatty]

It's sad that the hype train got out of control and this isn't the standard. Kid is a top 10 in the league talent, that's an incredible prospect. People don't have to blow stuff out of proportion for no reason. He's going to be a top player in the league why does it have to be outright best?


I was talking to a casual fan and a not at all fan yesterday and the casual fan was saying he's the best prospect since Gretzky

Thanks for this, jeez, nice to see someone who can just be realistic, dudes gonna be great. I just had a conversation with friends a week ago, and we're like if we ever see anyone like McDavid consider us blessed. McDavid is our Gretzky, pray we grow old enough to see the next one. Enjoy Bedard for what he is a supremely talented scorer that will absolutely win rockets. he's going to be amazing. McDavid is a freak that shouldn't exist you'll never see it again, enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[Bombshell11]

Thanks for this, jeez, nice to see someone who can just be realistic, dudes gonna be great. I just had a conversation with friends a week ago, and we're like if we ever see anyone like McDavid consider us blessed. McDavid is our Gretzky, pray we grow old enough to see the next one. Enjoy Bedard for what he is a supremely talented scorer that will absolutely win rockets. he's going to be amazing. McDavid is a freak that shouldn't exist you'll never see it again, enjoy it while it lasts.

If Bedard's continues this way he'll be the next kariya.

Surprisingly, Bedard is supposed to be a great Sniper but in 4 NHL games (3 pre-season) he did not beat a goalie yet and its odd because he shoots alot.

Too bad Michkov couldn't make it in the NHL this year it would of been nice to compare. Im not necessairly a fan of his, im saying this as a neutral party

 

[TLEH]

Because no one knows what a prospect is going to be after one NHL game. It’s silly to come in and make blanket statements one way or the other

 

[Nocashstyle]

Lol at some of these takes after 1 game…and this was a game where Bedard was clearly the most dangerous player in Chicago every time he was on the ice.

 

[HeadLiceHatty]

If Bedard's continues this way he'll be the next kariya.

Surprisingly, Bedard is supposed to be a great Sniper but in 4 NHL games (3 pre-season) he did not beat a goalie yet and its odd because he shoots alot.

Too bad Michkov couldn't make it in the NHL this year it would of been nice to compare. Im not necessairly a fan of his.

Massive Michkov guy clearly, but who knows how it'll all play out. I'm super excited for hockey when he comes over and we'll see the head to head, just a fun storyline for the fans. I highly doubt many fans watch the live KHL streams and actually see what Michkov even is, that being said this year Bedard was the clear #1 you had to draft him.

 

[bishop12]

I’m not sure which highlight you watched but clearly you have an agenda if you can watch this and argue it wasn’t Bedard who made the play happen.

Bettter known as a puck hog

 

[Castle8130]

LMAO, so much chaos and polarization after one game. I love it. It will be a fun season!

 

[bigdog16]

Long season ahead, there will undoubtedly be some growing pains. I still don't see him being a PPG player this season but 30/30 is a great year for a rookie. The talent is undeniable. He is definitely small

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

We're probably not going to know what Bedard is ultimately going to be after 50 games, let alone 1.

But I just can't fathom watching his game yesterday as an 18 year and 3 month whatever old and say that he shouldn't be in the NHL.

 

[Mathieukferland]

For the matter, Bedard did not look good yesterday

What game did you watch? Apart from the face off dot and one fly by on Malkin at the far blue line in the third I thought he was Chicago’s best player by some distance, was an entry and exit machine, generated the most scoring chances of anyone, and stripped Letang twice and disrupted several Pittsburgh attacks in transition

 

[Mrfenn92]

Dud of a bomb shell

 

[Faceboner]

What I saw yesterday, Bedard wasn't a defensive liability had good coverage and an active stick wasn't Puck chasing, his skating and edges were pretty awesome you can see the potential for him to turn into a burner just needs more strength, he has to get used to the physicality of the nhl as every rookie does, hands are pretty insane and iq was great, like others said great with exits/entries the myth he wouldn't be an elite player driver is silly as you could see he made good decisions with the Puck while at times Pitts put double coverage on him. He made things happen in the o-zone as the game went on. He is an absolutely dynamic player whose playmaking will shine then open up better opportunities for his shot once players realize his vision and iq are elite and overlooked.

 

[Faceboner]

Also it's only 1 game and no he didn't have a better debut than matthews neither did McDavid, ovi and Crosby l. In fact people were questioning if McDavid was overhyped after like 7 games and were questioning his elite talent because his first goal was a deflection

 

[Filthy Dangles]

I think it was a solid debut, looked good and the talent was very clear to see, basically exactly what you should realistically expect from a highly-touted 1st pick.

But that assist was absolutely nothing special and had it been made by any other player nobody would even bat a eye. Pass like that happens literally in most of the games.

Is anyone waxing poetic about the pass itself? As another poster succinctly put, great players can put up points quietly. Bedard was dancing most of the game, which probably played a factor in Karlsson/Pittsburgh D overplaying him a bit, and him being smart enough to suck them in just enough, leading to an easy point.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Good debut, was trying to do too much at times, gets pushed around. but extremely talented and that showed. I don't think he'll ever get to McDavid level but he'll be in that next tier sooner or later.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Yeah I can agree with that but the highlight of that play really wasn't him, was the true definition of a secondary assist, even though it was a bit smooth. I'm not saying the guy isn't going to be a superstar, he absolutely without a doubt will be, but he's never going to be Crosby / McDavid or of that mold. I just do not see that, never did. He didn't deserve the excess hype pressure he received, he seems to be focused on hockey which is good, he's going to be among the game's elite, without question but this generational bullshit is stupid, same kind of stuff with Matthews. As a real hockey fan you just know immediately, everyone knew immediately when they saw Crosby and McDavid, it wasn't a matter of if, more of just when.

You are posting an extremely lukewarm take as if you are making any kind of a point. I don't think many expect him to reach quite those levels of greatness, many expect him to reach the highest level you can after that, and he certainly looks the part.

 

[Cup or Bust]

People shouldn't be judging a guy after his first game. I kind of understand due to the hype that there are massive expectations on the player. He is obviously very talented but to expect him to be McDavid (Not saying it is not possible to get to that level) but to expect it is a bit unfair. McDavid is an exceptional player in hockey history. I put Gretzky, Lemieux, and McDavid in the same category of superstar. Those players have brought things to the NHL that no one has ever seen in it's history. Gretzky's amazing hockey IQ and passing ability, Lemieux is probably the most naturally gifted hockey player anyone has ever seen, and McDavid is the greatest combination of hockey IQ, skill, and speed anyone has ever seen. These are game changing players. Let's give Bedard a chance to become the best player he can be and not expect him to be the type of player that has only come along 3 times in about the past 45 years after 1 NHL game.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

I've never watched him play, but I have a strong opinion about his future...