Blackhawks Bedard Could Be Taking Back Seat to Celebrini

One of the debates that will likely permeate NHL chatter over the next decade or so will be whether Connor Bedard is better than Macklin Celebrini. That’s the sort of debate fans have had for the better part of two decades regarding Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

At this point, we could call that debate a stalemate. Both Ovechkin and Crosby have the hardware to make them NHL legends in their own right. 

As for Bedard and Celebrini, the San Jose Sharks’ rising star could be making a case to be considered better than the Blackhawks star. Celebrini’s showing at the 2026 Winter Olympics has been impressive to say the least. Selecting Celebrini as a 19-year-old to play with Canada’s best raised quite a few eyebrows.

While that decision was controversial enough on its own, the fact that Bedard was left off the team made the decision even more questionable. Celebrini has thrived while playing with Connor McDavid. The Sharks’ forward has hardly looked out of place on the ice. He’s scored and avoided making silly mistakes.

But you have to wonder why Bedard didn’t get the same chance. Bedard could have been just as effective playing alongside McDavid or say another veteran star like Nathan MacKinnon or even Crosby himself.

That’s why venturing to say that Celebrini is better than Bedard at this point is like comparing apples to oranges. Until Bedard has the same opportunity to shine on the global stage, the only real comparable will be the NHL.

And it’s at the NHL level where Bedard has shown an evolving and maturing game beyond his years. Despite the injury setbacks, the Blackhawks center has been every bit as good as Celebrini.

Perhaps this debate will finally be settled in 2030. By then, several of the current Canadian players will no longer be a part of the mix. That will definitely open doors for players like Bedard to shine on the world’s biggest stage.

Perhaps having Bedard and Celebrini on the same team at the Olympics will only intensify this debate. Time always has the best answers.