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.

 

[Bombshell11]

Bedard is not going to be one of the best players of all times, lets stop with the non sense. It was all hype made up by a very bad marketing company: The NHL.

 

[authentic]

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.

So you didn’t have to wait and see with Daigle either?

 

[Acallabeth]

Hockeysfuture.com used to have a pretty clear cut definition of a generational talent: it's a player in conversation for the best player ever. The examples were Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr and 'maybe Crosby, but we will see'.
Not even Crosby, Ovechkin and Jagr are at that level. The only player who has a somewhat sensible case for being better than some of the 'big 4' is McDavid. Though I see some reason in extending the definition to players in conversation for a top 5 player ever.

Yes and Ovi was 20. Let’s see how Bedard does in two years to compare

Sure, Bedard was too young, too small, the team around him was too bad, there are many reasons he didn't dominate the league in his 1st pro season, it's just not the stuff used to describe one of the best players ever.

 

[hockey20000]

Bedard is not going to be one of the best players of all times, lets stop with the non sense. It was all hype made up by a very bad marketing company: The NHL.

Top 30 top 20 if his career goes right i would say.

 

[Leksand]

It is too early to say if Bedard will fulfill the promise of being a generational talent. This upcoming season should be a very good indicator though.

In their second season as professionals: Orr won a Norris (and the next seven as well) Gretzky won the Hart, Lemieux won the Lindsay, Crosby won the Hart, and McDavid won the Hart.

As for expectations, I think he was hyped as much as can be pretty much, and certainly with expectations well above Patrick Kane. I never fully believed in it, he just doesn’t come across as a freak of nature like the all time greats, with the exception of Gretzky who comes across as having supernatural mental abilities. But I may be wrong, which would be very exciting.

 

[MuckOG]

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.

It absolutely was. Lindros had the talent to maybe become a generational NHL player, but as you said, injuries prevented him from realizing that. I certainly don't put Lindros in the Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, Crosby, McDavid group.