Has Connor Bedard quietly became underrated ?

[authentic]

The same process that pegged McDavid as generational before he played an NHL game , also pegged Bedard as generational. He's also an exceptional status player , just as McDavid was. He already has a generational body of work.

Arenas were selling out to see Bedard because he was generational and nothing less.

"Let's see what he does" doesn't even really cut it. Lindros was generational but his career was derailed by injuries. And he still made the hall of fame. He wasn't pegged down a few notches because of that. Everyone knew what he was capable of.

Does anyone try and make the case that Lindros wasn't actually that good ?

In a parallel universe where Lindros had Ovechkin’s durability you’re looking at a top 10 player of all-time.

 

[Crow]

Yeah those are all pretty defensible opinions. I place a lot of emphasis personally on dominance in a more modern league with more skill and a greater talent pool but I can see how someone would have Hull 5 or even Hasek for sure. Pretty sure I have the exact same top 12 as you only in different order. Actually, come to think of it Ovechkin should fit in there somewhere but not sure who I’d take out. You could say Hull and Ovechkin at their best were on that level and are also the best goal scorers of all-time besides Lemieux.

I’m thinking I might have Ovi ahead of Jagr now that you mention it. Probably should. Both amazing peaks and longevity. Tough to say.

 

[Brookbank]

In a parallel universe where Lindros had Ovechkin’s durability you’re looking at a top 10 player of all-time.

Top 5 probably. He was offered more money than Lemieux and Gretzky before he even played an NHL game. The hype didn't come from nowhere. It was his body of work up to that point that made him generational. (a body of work that includes records that Connor Bedard has since broken)

His career was full of injuries and it never really fired on all cylinders. But the generational label was never taken away.

Saying "lets wait and see" on Bedard to see if he's generational defeats the whole purpose of the term. If we had to wait and see, he wouldn't be considered generational.