Which of these 3 players have been the worst relative to expectations?

[slapKing]

With the season 2/3ish over, one thing that is surprising is how these 3 players are not playing up to the level they are capable of. Of the 3, who has been the worst relative to expectations?

 

[rockymtnoyster]

I'd have to say Bedard, Celebrini already looks more promising with a smaller sample size..

 

[10YearsHaveGone]

I would say Bedard. Both McDavid and Matthews are dealing with some sort of injury hampering their play. McDavid is also getting some real bad luck this year (0.96 PDO at 5v5).

 

[Voight]

I'd have to say Bedard, Celebrini already looks more promising with a smaller sample size..

Celebrini is on pace for 72 points... Bedard was on pace for 73 his rookie year.. on a team with a lot less talent.

 

[NeverForget06]

Auston Matthews playoff points last three seasons: 9 in 7 games, 11 points in 11 games and 4 points in 5 games.

McDavid over past three seasons:
33 in 16 games, 20 in 12 games, 42 in 25 games

That's about the end of it

 

[The90]

Auston Matthews playoff points last three seasons: 9 in 7 games, 11 points in 11 games and 4 points in 5 games.

McDavid over past three seasons:
33 in 16 games, 20 in 12 games, 42 in 25 games

That's about the end of it

Hard to say, but pretty sure that’s not what he asked

 

[rockymtnoyster]

Celebrini is on pace for 72 points... Bedard was on pace for 73 his rookie year.. on a team with a lot less talent.

And is being outpaced by Celebrini in his rookie year and looks to be regressing rather then improving... thanks for making my point even more clearer.

 

[NikolaTesla]

Auston Matthews playoff points last three seasons: 9 in 7 games, 11 points in 11 games and 4 points in 5 games.

McDavid over past three seasons:
33 in 16 games, 20 in 12 games, 42 in 25 games

That's about the end of it

Maybe you should read before acting like you ended a thread.

 

[DitchMarner]

McDavid looked really good earlier in the season and was producing and playing well before the suspension. I don't know what happened, but he hasn't been himself since the Garland incident. The Oilers team as a whole has been a mess since the Four Nations tournament. They used to outshoot the opposition in nearly every game. They've been playing pretty terrible hockey since McDavid scored the Golden Goal.

Matthews hasn't been himself all year. He's clearly been playing injured often and he can't shoot the puck the way he normally does (which is a major hindrance to him since shooting is a big part of his game).

I haven't seen too much of Bedard or followed him that closely (don't pay too much attention to teams that suck generally). I guess he's been the most disappointing relative to expectations of the three when you consider he's been healthy and hasn't had his season disrupted.

 

[ViD]

The shocking thing is that Bedard looks WORSE than in his rookie year

 

[Run the Gauntlet]

Why are people so surprised about Bedard he looks like a twig.

 

[Boreal01]

I'll go with Matthews even though his "regression" is almost entirely due to not being 100% for the duration of the season and even then he's still been an invaluable presence at both ends of the ice

Bedard is certainly falling short of the "next MacKinnon/McDavid" moniker often bestowed upon him, however, it feels like more people should have recognized that a massive breakout was unlikely when he was going to be thrust into virtually the exact same situation as last season

Tyler Bertuzzi being touted as some grand reinforcement was already cause for concern and yet now there are Blackhawks fans who would rejoice if Bertuzzi was attached to Bedard's hip for the rest of the season just to try and establish even a semblance of chemistry

Any significant improvement while surrounded by such a mediocre roster was already wishful thinking, it shouldn't be at all surprising that he's struggling to stay afloat when every game features him getting flanked by a nearly endless revolving door of vastly less talented wingers

 

[LuGBuG]

It doesn’t matter what McDavid does until April-May-June now. He’s done it all and shown the player he is. His only expectation at this point is to win a cup.

 

[bobholly39]

The shocking thing is that Bedard looks WORSE than in his rookie year

Yeah. But, he's young. That happens sometimes. Look at MacKinnon - strong rookie year, than disappointing for a few years till he took off in season 5. Surprising/disappointing yes - but not exactly shocking for a player his age to have a slump in season 2. I suspect he comes back strong next year, and I still see him reaching his potential within a few years.

I did vote Bedard in this poll.

McDavid and Matthews are underperforming too relative to their very lofty expectations (McDavid for a ton of points, Matthews for a ton of goals) - but it's also really unnecessary for them to go all out. They both had injuries (especially Matthews) and are better off taking it a bit easy during season so they can go all out come playoffs. I also expect both to have very strong bounce back seasons next year.

If either Toronto or Edmonton were the least bit worried about their position in the standings, I'd say Matthews/McDavid's performances might be worrisome, but both teams are super safely in playoff position and have been all year. In fact - earlier in the year when Oilers started off really bad, McDavid did do really well for a while until Oilers rose back up the standings before taking the foot off the gas.

 

[895]

I'll give Bedard some slack. Sophomore slump is a normal thing.

Matthews was pacing ahead of Ovechkin in terms of one day seizing the goal scoring record. He's slowing down at a critical time. He needs to do better if he's gonna do it one day. Is he even gonna hit 30 this year? Ovechkin didn't miss 30 goals a season until he was like 35 and that was with the pandemic shortened season.