We’re all looking forward to what Connor Bedard brings to the NHL in his second season. After winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year (in spite of his plus-minus), we’re also hoping to see closer to 82 games from the phenom on a team that spent a lot of money to improve the forward group around him this summer.
I was hoping for the hype train in Chicago to be exclusively riding with Caleb Williams this week, but then I read what Paul Pidutti (aka @AdjustedHockey) wrote about Bedard for Daily Faceoff and let’s just say I’m right back in the “when does the rink open?” mindset.
“What is in view, however, is an explosion from Bedard. His ascension will be so fast and so seamless that youโll forget the day he wasnโt one of the worldโs greatest athletes. Itโs inevitable. Letโs explore why this is the case and what his highly anticipated sophomore season could look like.”
Pidutti quickly caveats his thoughts early in the piece saying he doesn’t want to add too much pressure to a player who arrived in the NHL with more social media hype — and scrutiny — than any player in league history.
But then he jumps into a breakdown of how “generational talents” have performed early in their NHL careers. And the remarkable increase seen from Year One to Year Two. And the group of players he uses to support that assessment is eye-popping.
Pidutti went as far as to offer four counter-arguments, cases against a statistical explosion from Bedard this season. But he had a rational counter to each of them, including the improved roster around Bedard from his rookie campaign to the coming season. While the Blackhawks still don’t figure to be an offensive juggernaut, injecting the likes of Tyler Bertuzzi and Tuevo Terรยคvรยคinen.
So how about those lefty projections? He cites a few others who have thrown out their predictions for Bedard’s sophomore year before dropping his.
By looking around the league, the expectations for Bedardโs output in 2024-25 arrive at a general consensus. The Athleticโs Dom Luszczyszynโs dynamic Fantasy Hockey Cheat Sheet projects Bedard for 31/52/83 in 78 games โ a top-25 finish in the NHL points race. The Hockey News annual fantasy preview has Bedardโs line at 35/45/80 in 80 games.
NHL.com says 85 points. ESPN says 76 points. The oddsmakers show his over/under at 78.5 or 79.5 points. …
I think weโre going to blink and see him ascend near the top of the league by April. Assuming full health, Bedard will hit 40 goals and 100 points. His breakout will be heavily fueled by becoming a legitimate power player weapon. Heโll progress so quickly that heโll be an easy choice as a top-six forward that leaves a mark on Team Canada in the 4 Nations Faceoff. Visually, Bedard will routinely make highlight reel plays that few others consider โ both as an elite sniper and playmaker.
40 goals and 100 points this season? Sign me all the way up for that!
Training camp can’t start soon enough!