Lafleurs Guy
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- Jul 20, 2007
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Has Connor Bedard quietly became underrated ?
- Thread starter Brookbank
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- Apr 27, 2005
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That's the last reason to move someone to wing.
He should move to wing because his game is better suited for it at this stage. If it was just faceoffs, you could just give him a winger who's decent on the draw and let him take key faceoffs, like Foligno or TT
He’s definitely not 5’10 you’re right but he’s actually very well built compared to most 19 year old nhl players so I don’t really think strength is a big issue for him. But actually applying on ice strength is very different than simply having enough muscle built up from off ice training. He’s definitely yet a guy that can just create offence out of nothing regardless of who he’s playing with so the hawks should make an effort to add a legit star forward. Hall and Bertuzzi just aren’t that good anymore to be more than middle 6 guys. Maybe that could add an overpaid veteran for cheap somehow similar to Anaheim adding Trouba.
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Kucherov didn’t become a top liner until then but he didn’t become a top 5 player until he was 26 and last year at age 30 he had his best season. MacKinnon is another example of a guy who didn’t really hit his stride until 5 years in and he just had a career season last year at 28 albeit he came into the league his draft year and played on some very bad Avs teams in years 2-4. Its easy to expect Bedard to be a 100 point guy his 2nd season based on what guys like Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin and McDavid did but there’s also guys in the tear right below Crosby/Mcdavid who took years to become close to the players they ended up being. Blackhawks should be incredibly happy if Bedard turns out to be as good as Kuch/Mackinnon/Kane.
Context needs to be added, Kuch’s peak is a lot closer to Crosby/Ovechkin than it gets credit for. But Crosby wasn’t even healthy for close to a full season during his peak and Kuch doesn’t have close to the longevity or trophy cases of those guys and he overly likely never will. But as a huge Kuch fan I’m very confident he’ll remain a top player into his mid 30s given his skill set relying so heavily on his iq.
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Acallabeth
Post approved by Ovechkin
I watched several Hawks games recently, and while obviously Lil' C stands out with his skills on a team that has very little talent, his own game is a bit concerning.
Many high-risk passes (like his seemingly patented backhand cross-ice turnover), a lot of watching hockey from the ice, seems pretty easy to shut down with physical play, doesn't seem to get open easily. Not a lot of signs of on-ice leadership too.
Definitely looks like a junior player still in transition to the NHL who needs a lot of coaching. In fact, I'm under an impression that he looks more so than last year (but I haven't watched all his games).
Many high-risk passes (like his seemingly patented backhand cross-ice turnover), a lot of watching hockey from the ice, seems pretty easy to shut down with physical play, doesn't seem to get open easily. Not a lot of signs of on-ice leadership too.
Definitely looks like a junior player still in transition to the NHL who needs a lot of coaching. In fact, I'm under an impression that he looks more so than last year (but I haven't watched all his games).
NatusVincere
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- Nov 30, 2018
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Kucherov took longer because he didn’t have the hype of a 1OA/top 3 pick with a guaranteed Top 6 roster spot without defensive responsibilities playing for a rebuilding team. Kucherov was a (skinny) Russian 2nd round pick who had to earn his top line spot through the QMJHL, AHL and Bolts bottom 6 playing for a contending team. He had 7 points less than Stamkos in 14/15 (his 21 year old season) playing 5 less minutes per game.
Agent Zuuuub
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Andy Dufresne
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Connor Bedard was 5'9.75" at the 2023 NHL Scouting Combine:
For anybody who cares.
For anybody who cares.
He isn't in that class. I said from the start he will be a peak Kariya player and its looking likely.
There were people here who thought it was an insult except Whiskey.
Crow
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Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
Andy Dufresne
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How many Kucherovs are there in the league again? Kucherov was a second round pick fighting his way through a deep Tampa Bay organization, Bedard has been handed the keys since day 1 - day and night difference.
I want the kid to become the best player in the league, rooting for him, but I just don't see him in that conversation based on what last season and this season have looked like.
Ace Card Bedard
Back in Black, Red, and White
- Feb 11, 2012
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Misa, Martone, Frondell, Hagens
They all seem to be top forward prospects.
Schaeffer on D if he's the BPA.
Also of note:
Davidson tried to get both Levshunov and Demidov by offering next years' first plus another pick but nobody agreed.
- Apr 27, 2005
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I'll take TT, Hall, Donato, Foligno, and Kurashev over Smith and Maroon.
Foligno had more points last year than Smith and Maroon combined. There's a reason Smith and Maroon are on the 4th line and get less ice time than every other Hawks forward.
- Apr 27, 2005
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I used to think he had 60 goal potential, but it's hard to imagine it at this point. Even with an elite linemate.
Dude's on pace for 14.6 goals. How many past rocket winners have struggled to score goals to such an extent in their second year in the league?
Agent Zuuuub
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i know thats why i said ultimate upside, most likely he doesn't reach that and is a level or two below one of the best ever.
and its not exactly easy to be handed the keys as an 18 year old and asked to be successful with little support. very likely an 18-19 year old kucherov struggles with that too.
esp because like Bedard, Kuch is a small player who doesn't have blazing speed.
Video Nasty
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The increase in scoring—7%, 12%, and 13% in the 2023-2024 season compared to 2006-2007 and 2007-2008–isn’t enough to hand wave away the 29%, 27%, and 20% more points Kucherov had compared to the career highs of Ovechkin, Malkin, and Crosby, respectively.
But the 8% fewer points Kucherov had compared to what Yzerman did while finishing third in an environment where scoring was 22% higher than in 2023-2024 does point to Kucherov also being more impressive there too.
Andy Dufresne
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Iginla,, scored 13 goals
Perry, 17
Pastrnak, 15 (50 games)
There's a few more that you're not comparing apples to apples because they were in there 20's before they even came to the league. How many goals would Teemu, Bure and Hejduk have scored in the nhl at 19? Nobody can answer that.
Then there's the curious case of Jonathan Cheechoo, but we don't need to get into that right now.
- Apr 27, 2005
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Good find, but all 3 of those guys paced for more goals in their 2nd years in lower scoring eras. With a lot less ice time too:
Iginla: 16:04
Pastrnak: 13:57
Perry: 12:28
Bedard: 19:31
I think its probably more likely that Bedard competes for the Art Ross down the line than it is he competes for Rockets, unless he's able to find ways to get more shots from dangerous areas. He's quickly turning into more of a perimeter playmaker ala Kane and Kucherov.
This is absolutely true and a very fair point.
He actually had 28 goals in his 2nd year, but I think he was already an AARP member at that point.
Crow
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You are looking at one side of things.
Reichel also has the worst quality of competition on our team. Our old coach thought it would be a good idea to match up Bedard against Barkov.
Foligno doesn’t play with Bedard hardly at all.
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- Apr 27, 2005
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That's true. Those factors probably offset a bit. But Reichel has significantly outpaced him per minute at 5v5 while making some extremely dynamic plays (1.92 p/60 vs 1.38). Reichel has the 2nd best xGF/60 numbers on the team - he's been hugely improved this year. By the eye test, he's been a better 5v5 player through their first 28 games this year IMO.
Didn't they win that game though?
He's been Bedard's 3rd most common forward linemate this year...
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