Has Connor Bedard quietly became underrated ?

[Brookbank]

'Generational' is a made up term of art in the sporting context. It doesn't actually mean anything, people spend way too much time debating it.

So all the hype about Mcdavid before he played an NHL game was just nonsense and didn't really mean anything ?

 

[Hawkaholic]

Imagine thinking Bedard hasn't made his teammates better. lol

 

[x Tame Impala]

So all the hype about Mcdavid before he played an NHL game was just nonsense and didn't really mean anything ?

Even as a Hawks fan I don't see the value in the label. It doesn't make me more or less excited to have Bedard on the squad. Why ruin watching him for the next 20 years putting expectations on him of being a Crosby level player?

 

[MuckOG]

This is the season he needs to prove it while being the third youngest player in the entire league?

Clown take.

The OP is comparing Bedard to Crosby and McDavid. Look at what those two did at the same age.

So all the hype about Mcdavid before he played an NHL game was just nonsense and didn't really mean anything ?

In the grand scheme of things, no....other than get our attention. What matters is how they perform AFTER they arrive in the NHL.

 

[Voight]

I think it’s hilarious that since he was awful defensively at 18 on a horrible roster it means he’s f***ed defensively lol.

You just gotta love the HFB scouts.

 

[Hawkaholic]

The OP is comparing Bedard to Crosby and McDavid. Look at what those two did at the same age.

McDavid put up 13 less points at the same age, had a very slightly higher goals/GP, playing with much better players.

 

[Crow]

Imagine thinking Bedard hasn't made his teammates better. lol

I almost replied to that but I’m just done with some people in this thread. Will have to wait and see what happens. Not going to convince anyone. Don’t think these guys actually watch at this point. Sick of their weird no true Scotsman fallacies.

 

[Blue and Green]

Joe Sakic type player all time is a pretty good expectation for him if he hits off

So far, he's been better at every age than Sakic was.

 

[Video Nasty]

McDavid put up 13 less points at the same age, had a very slightly higher goals/GP, playing with much better players.

McDavid played 24 fewer games in a scoring environment that is the lowest over the past twenty years, while finishing 3rd in PPG. There’s an outside possibility that if he didn’t miss 37 games, his trajectory probably might have seen him hit 95 points in that environment, which would have been a second place finish. Maybe. We’ll never know, but it’s not important since he came out and won the Hart, Lindsay, and Art Ross the very next season and has one of the most decorated trophy cabinets through the first half of one’s career ever.

I’m high on Bedard and I think his trajectory as a rookie was hampered by his mid-season injury, but he wasn’t as good as McDavid and never will be. I find some points useful like how the Blackhawks 177 goals in a higher scoring environment would still rank last in 2015-2016, but if one watched both players in their rookie campaigns, it’s obvious who was better and will be better going forward.

And for those who think I will never lift up Crosby, Bedard has little chance of touching his career either.

 

[PainForShane]

McDavid played 24 fewer games in a scoring environment that is the lowest over the past twenty years, while finishing 3rd in PPG. There’s an outside possibility that if he didn’t miss 37 games, his trajectory probably might have seen him hit 95 points in that environment, which would have been a second place finish. Maybe. We’ll never know, but it’s not important since he came out and won the Hart, Lindsay, and Art Ross the very next season and has one of the most decorated trophy cabinets through the first half of one’s career ever.

I’m high on Bedard and I think his trajectory as a rookie was hampered by his mid-season injury, but he wasn’t as good as McDavid and never will be. I find some points useful like how the Blackhawks 177 goals in a higher scoring environment would still rank last in 2015-2016, but if one watched both players in their rookie campaigns, it’s obvious who was better and will be better going forward.

And for those who think I will never lift up Crosby, Bedard has little chance of touching his career either.

"I lift up Crosby by putting Bedard down"

It doesn't work that way. Lmfao

 

[Bombshell11]

Imagine thinking Bedard hasn't made his teammates better. lol

Ehh? no, his linemates gotta do all the dirty work, he cant hit, he cant defend.

 

[Voight]

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.

Even with perfect health I'm not sure he ends up as a generational player. Look at at the seasons when he was indeed healthy, he could put up points with the best of them but never separated himself from the pack the way others did. Of course his game wasn't all offence, but my point stands.

 

[Spargon]

Not heralding him as a generational god = underrated? Gotcha

 

[Eyeseeing]

Bedard is a special talent not surrounded with an exceptional team.
He’s a very good hockey player and fun to watch

 

[Hawkaholic]

Ehh? no, his linemates gotta do all the dirty work, he cant hit, he cant defend.

He played with a player who never sniffed 30pts in his career, and helped him get over 50. Foligno was a healthy scratch in Boston the previous year, and Bedard helped him have his best year since 2017 lol ....

He can score, he can set up plays almost every shift. His teammates last year, lacked finish, big time. You know who else cant defend? The entire team.

 

[Bombshell11]

He played with a player who never sniffed 30pts in his career, and helped him get over 50. Foligno was a healthy scratch in Boston the previous year, and Bedard helped him have his best year since 2017 lol ....

He can score, he can set up plays almost every shift. His teammates last year, lacked finish, big time. You know who else cant defend? The entire team.

I watched many of the games and i saw some one playing 6-7 of pp time and 23 mins of toi as a rookie forward who cant take a hit.

I saw a guy who was being overly sheltered wkth only O-Zone.

He had Hall and Perry

Foligno dint have a better personal season because of Bedard but because he played more mins than before.

 

[ORRFForever]

I want to watch the Chicago / Jets game but my family wants to watch the Dodgers game - and I'm too comfortable to leave MY recliner and go in the other room.

 

[Hawkaholic]

I watched many of the games and i saw some one playing 6-7 of pp time and 23 mins of toi as a rookie forward who cant take a hit.

I saw a guy who was being overly sheltered wkth only O-Zone.

He had Hall and Perry

Foligno dint have a better personal season because of Bedard but because he played more mins than before.

lol

 

[jigglysquishy]

Hall had 4 points in 10 games. Not even noteworthy.

 

[ORRFForever]

He is playing on the worst team I've seen in a long while. It's a shame.

 

[Yepthatsme]

Wow lots of people here don’t understand context of his situation, so fair warning this post will be numbers heavy but people really need to understand just how unbelievable Bedard was last year.

Since 2009-10 when the NHL page began tracking 5v5 goals per team, 25 different teams have scored 128 5v5 goals or less (Chicago had 118 last season). 15 separate NHL teams made the list. Of those 25 instances, only 6 other teams had a player able to get 40 ESP. Only 2 other teams managed to get a player to 70 all situations points. For reference, Bedard was on pace for 48 ESP and 74 all situations points. The only player NHL wide who managed to have more in both stats was Eichel in his 4th season, getting 56 and 82 respectively while being flanked by Sam Reinhart and 40 goal Jeff Skinner. Bedard was flanked by Kurashev and Foligno. Even just his totals he finished with after missing time would still place him at the 7th best 5v5 season, and the 6th best season out of the entire list of players for reference.

Notable names who Bedard finished ahead of are: 27 year old prime Kovalchuk, prime Kopitar, prime Getzlaf, 16-17 Taylor Hall (the year before he won the Hart), D. Sedin. Bedard was on pace for the second best season we’ve seen in the last 15 seasons in a low scoring environment and arguably the best when you consider linemates/supporting cast, and he did it as the youngest player in the entire league.

If any of this info surprises you or your natural instinct is to think “yea but…”, you’re under rating him.

 

[EdJovanovski]

McDavis couldn't sniff Bedards jockstrap.

 

[x Tame Impala]

lol

Hey bro he he had two Hart winners and a Richard winner as linemates, what’s his problem?

 

[Bombshell11]

Hey bro he he had two Hart winners and a Richard winner as linemates, what’s his problem?

what did Crosby have?

 

[Acallabeth]

Notable names who Bedard finished ahead of are: 27 year old prime Kovalchuk, prime Kopitar, prime Getzlaf, 16-17 Taylor Hall (the year before he won the Hart), D. Sedin. Bedard was on pace for the second best season we’ve seen in the last 15 seasons in a low scoring environment

Comparing raw numbers is a bit disingenuous. Remember that Bedard is playing in the league much easier to score. The guys you mentioned played in the 'obstruction era' when Matt Cooke headshots weren't even penalized.

You know who else cant defend? The entire team.

Imagine thinking Bedard hasn't made his teammates better. lol

Why didn't he make them defend better then?