What is a fair expectation for Connor Bedard entering his third season?

Fair or unfair, Connor Bedard hasn't lived up to the title of "generational superstar"... yet. I have complete confidence in this young man, and as he enters his 20s, I expect that his on-ice production will finally begin to silence his doubters and critics.

Before diving into what would be a fair statistical expectation for Bedard's third NHL season with the Blackhawks, I want to address where the heightened expectations for Bedard are coming from.

First and foremost, fans of other teams are praying on his downfall simply because of the crest he wears. The Chicago Blackhawks are easily one of the most despised franchises in the NHL by non-Chicagoans. I will eventually write an article on where this hatred stems from, but in short, fans hate the Hawks, and so they root against them and their players.

Beyond that, the NHL's newfound obsession with one Macklin Celebrini has resulted in the downplaying of Connor Bedard's potential. Fans who despise Chicago are quick to celebrate the young Shark's superstar as the "true generational talent." Which is funny to me as Connor Bedard had a better rookie campaign in fewer games than Celebrini did, but I digress.

Celebrini is an exceptional player, but he is not Connor Bedard. Bedard will begin proving his prowess this season. If we look back at other generational/franchise-level players' third seasons, we can begin to formulate an idea of what Bedard might do this year.

Comparable NHL players for Connor Bedard entering his third year with the Blackhawks.

Let's start with two Hawks legends: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

In year three, Patrick Kane put up 30 goals, 58 assists, and 88 total points. He ended the season a +16 and led the Hawks to a Stanley Cup that summer, where he scored his famous phantom goal and triggered the greatest run of success in Blackhawks history. Those are massive shoes to fill, but remember we are only talking about the statistical expectations for Bedard, not whether or not this Hawks team wins a cup... Because they won't be close this year.

Toews put up 25 goals, 43 assists for 68 points. He ended the season with a +22. Toews' impact extended far beyond the scoresheet, however, as he was a dynamic two-way center tasked with defending the opposing team's best players, while also being tasked with contributing offensively. Again, big shoes to fill.

Looking outside of the Hawks, I'm going to quickly run through a list of legendary/franchise level players from the 21st century, and see where Bedard may stack up. These will be the statistics of these players in their third NHL seasons according to NHL.com.

As you can see, there is a wide range of outcomes in the early careers of these legends of the game. Every single player on this list is an unquestionably elite player, and yet some of them had some not-so-elite seasons early in their career.

Oh, and I'm not sure any of them played on teams as bad as the past two seasons' Blackhawks rosters. Hopefully, this information allows us to all take a collective breath and keep in mind that Bedard is still absolutely on the path to stardom.

So what am I anticipating for Bedard's stats in year three? I would say a fair expectation is somewhere between the seasons of David Pastrnak and Steven Stamkos. If I had to make a prediction, I would say expecting 30-35 goals and between 40 and 55 assists is fair. That would put my maximum expectation for Bedard at right around 90 points, and my minimum expectation around 70 points. So I'll predict that he lands in the middle with 34 goals, 46 assists for 80 points in about 80 games. I am also hopeful that Bedard can minimize his +/-. I think he will likely be in the negative again, but let's hope for something closer to zero, like a -8 or a -12.

If Bedard becomes a true point per game player by year three, before his team is even talented enough to keep up with him, that would be a massive win for Hawks fans. I'm looking forward to seeing what Bedard can do in his third NHL season, and remember, it will only get brighter from here for the young star.