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Connor Bedard put together a phenomenal rookie season. The talented forward was one of the best NHL players last year, making it onto the All-Rookie team and taking home the Rookie of the Year award over Brock Faber and Luke Hughes. The future is bright.
As for how bright, the league wanted to ask just that on the NHL Twitter/X account. He scored 61 points off the back of 22 goals and 39 assists, and the league set the over/under at 85, which would mark a huge jump.
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Unsurprisingly, fans are split on whether or not he can make that leap. He's the best rookie from last season, but adding 24 points on a noncompetitive team can be difficult. Some fans don't care how difficult it is — they believe the Chicago Blackhawks star is built for it.
"51 goals, 97 points," one player boldly predicted.
"Over by a mile, has some real teammates this year," another added.
Others disagree, citing his fragility and the lack of talent Bedard has around him. Bedard will have to carry Chicago, and that may not yield as many points as he could score with stronger teammates.
"Under. Some no talent plug takes him out like they do all the young generational players," one player grimly stated.
"I say under in his sophomore season as he’s going to be played even more physically than last year, but season 3 he will explode," another added.
NHL fans rarely agree on anything, and the potential tally for Bedard in 2024-25 is no different.
NHL insider compares new rookie to Connor Bedard
Bedard is considered by many in hockey circles to be a generational talent. That was partly on display during his brilliant, award-winning rookie season.
Ivan Demidov, the Montreal Canadiens top selection from the 2024 NHL Draft, is being touted highly as well. Sebastian High, an NHL insider at the DobberProspects site, said that Demidov excels even beyond Bedard in some areas:
"He’s the best puck-handler we’ve seen in the last three vintages, and that includes Connor Bedard."
Time will tell if this bold claim holds true.
