Chicago Blackhawks 2024-2025 Season Predictions

Prediction Two: Connor Bedard will finish the Regular Season with 41 goals, and 53 assists for 94 points.

This is where it gets fun! Why just say something bland like, "Bedard will finish above a point per game," or "Bedard will have 90 points."

Rather, It is so much more enjoyable to try to predict the exact point total, goal total, and assist total. Look, I'm not even sure that I feel confident in this one. It would be a massive jump for Bedard to go from 61 points as a rookie to 94 as a Sophomore. However, there is evidence to suggest that he can.

The likes of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, and Patrick Kane were all highly productive NHL players as soon as their second NHL seasons. If we believe that Bedard is in their class, then he should have a monster second year.

I do not doubt that his talent will permit him to hit these totals. The question will be whether he has consistent line-mates to build a connection with, and if the overall team performance is good enough to put Bedard in positions to excel.

It seems that Bedard will be playing with Hall and Bertuzzi to start the season, so that takes care of one of my qualifications. If the team is competent as I believe that they can be, Bedard really has no reason not to dominate as we all anticipate.

Now to be very clear, if Bedard doesn't hit these numbers it does NOT mean that he is a bust, or he failed or he isn't progressing. Remember, numbers don't tell you everything. It is entirely possible that Bedard finishes closer to a point per game pace (82 points) or even a bit below that.

As long as he is progressing, and the team is supporting him as he develops, we have absolutely nothing to worry about. Remember that Jack Hughes, now universally considered to be a superstar, wasn't a point per game player until year three. It happens, so I won't panic if I'm wrong here. However, since I think Bedard is better than Hughes, I have a higher expectation for him.