Elliotte Friedman Comments on the Criticism of Connor Bedard in his Second NHL Season
Connor Bedard came into the NHL with plenty of hype, and while he hasn't taken a leap in year two, the NHL's top insider says the criticism is unwarranted.
Last season, Connor Bedard entered the NHL as hyped as any prospect in recent memory, and after winning the Calder Trophy, he made it clear that he has the talent to be a star in the league.
In 2024/25 however, he's received plenty of criticism for the way that he has backed up that stellar campaign, with many noting that he's in the middle of a sophomore slump which happens to athletes all over the world.
One person that doesn't believe the criticism is warranted is Elliotte Friedman, who notes on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast that he believes the criticism of the 19-year old is over the top.
Despite starting the year slow, Bedard has tallied six points in his last eight games played, taking his total on the season to 19 points in 25 games played, and while there's growing pains, that was always to be expected.
Even the critics can't deny that the talent is still there, but with a lack of stars around him, opponents have zeroed in on Bedard and it's limiting his production in a major way.
Ultimately, Bedard will always be facing criticism given how important he is to the Blackhawks as the face of the franchise, and while he hasn't taken a major leap forward this season, he remains one of the brightest young stars in the league.
| POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 7 | 161 ANSWERS Elliotte Friedman Comments on the Criticism of Connor Bedard in his Second NHL Season Do you believe Connor Bedard has taken a step backwards in 2024/25? | ||
| Yes | 107 | 66.5 % |
| No | 54 | 33.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Drake Batherson | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Adam Fox | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Owen Power | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brady Tkachuk | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Noah Gregor | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Reilly Smith | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mika Zibanejad | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bowen Byram | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sam Carrick | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Jensen | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Peyton Krebs | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mason McTavish | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Zack Ostapchuk | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Artemi Panarin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John-Jason Peterka | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Sanderson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Wild | 28 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 42 | |
Jets | 30 | 21 | 9 | - | 42 | |
Capitals | 27 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 40 | |
Golden Knights | 28 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 39 | |
Devils | 31 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 39 | |
Panthers | 29 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 38 | |
Hurricanes | 28 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 37 | |
Kings | 28 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 37 | |
Maple Leafs | 28 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 36 | |
Stars | 27 | 17 | 10 | - | 34 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||