Comparing Connor Bedard's sophomore slump to other Calder Trophy winners

If Connor Bedard tallies a point tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, he will have matched his last season’s point production. However, it would then have taken him 10 more games to match that production.

This is not what Bedard, the organization, or Hawks fans had in mind going into this season, and the failure to meet expectations has taken a toll on the 19-year-old. 

That being said, we cannot forget that Bedard is only 19.

Every other young player on the Hawks roster didn’t see NHL action until they were at least 19, and they did not have to carry the burden of being the first-overall pick and franchise savior.

As far as “sophomore slumps” go, 60 points in 77 games is nothing to sneeze at, and that is what we will be examining today.

Let’s take a look at other Calder Trophy winners’ sophomore slumps and how their careers turned out.

Nathan MacKinnon

MacKinnon contributed as soon as he touched NHL ice in 2013, notching 24 goals and 63 points on the way to leading an Avalanche team that won only 16 games the year prior to a Central Division title and a playoff berth.

His second season wasn’t so kind to him as he managed just 14 goals and 38 points in 64 games, and the team missed the playoffs. We all know how MacKinnon’s career has turned out thus far – a Stanley Cup, a Hart Trophy, a Ted Lindsay Award, and 1014 points and counting. 

Mathew Barzal

The 2018 Calder winner produced a career-high 63 assists and 85 points in his freshman campaign. His offense suffered in year two, finishing with just 62 total points.

Though Barzal has yet to recapture the heights of his rookie production, he has still compiled 462 points in 530 games on an Islanders squad that historically relies on its defensive structure to win games. Barzal is a veteran of two deep playoff runs and has averaged 0.75 points-per-game in the postseason. 

Matty Beniers

Like MacKinnon, Beniers helped guide his squad to the playoffs as a rookie, posting 24 goals and 57 points in the process. Like the rest of the Kraken, Beniers couldn’t recapture the magic of his first year, and he struggled to the tune of just 37 points as a sophomore.

This season, Beniers has been marginally better with 41 points in 77 games, but he has always been known for his two-way play rather than purely his offensive capabilities. I could see Beniers having a Ryan O’Reilly-esque career in which he has a couple of big offensive seasons but mostly averages 50-60 points a year. 

As we can see, a “sophomore slump” is hardly a rare occurrence, nor is it a death blow to Bedard’s career as some social media users would have you believe.

All of the players mentioned above either had or will have long, productive careers, and a slight dip in points in year two didn’t ruin them. It is also worth noting that each of these players made the playoffs in their first or second year in the league and were bolstered by better supporting casts.

With the influx of young talent joining the Blackhawks recently, Bedard is finally getting that support he has been lacking, so don’t be shocked if he really breaks through in year three.