The NHL on TNT panellists dished out their big visions for the season ahead, including a point-per-game Connor Bedard, Connor McDavid nearing 200 points and more.
The studio panellists from the NHL on TNT are distinctly unconcerned about whether Connor Bedard will crack the Chicago Blackhawks' season-opening lineup.
After Bedard logged his second multi-point game of pre-season in Chicago's 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, they probably have a point.
Rather than question whether the 18-year-old will be in Chicago's lineup on opening night, they're debating whether or not fans will see point-per-game production from the first overall draft pick over the 2023-24 NHL season.
Bedard is expected to be a marquee attraction as TNT and Warner Brothers Discovery kick off their third season of NHL coverage with the Blackhawks facing the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, Oct. 11. The Los Angeles Kings will host the Colorado Avalanche in the late game as part of this season's 62-game broadcast package.
"For me, it's going to come down to how competitive Chicago is as a team," said legendary goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who joined the NHL on TNT panel last season and will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this November. "When you look at his point total, if they're competitive, he will get more opportunities to score more goals in the third period."
Paul Bissonnette said he believes the 18-year-old already has enough man-strength to hold his own in NHL competition, plus the best shot we've seen from a rookie since Auston Matthews burst on the scene and a unique new-school ability to beat defenders 1-on-1.
"I don't see a reason that he can't get 40 goals," he said. "Matthews did it in his first year. I see him getting to that level and, I would say, probably around that 80-point mark."
For host Liam McHugh, Bedard's 'wow' factor reminds him of the must-see TV that Patrick Kane delivered when he was at the height of his game.
"I love these players that come into the league where a real sports fan can see their talent immediately," he said. "They know something is just different. And sometimes you don't know what it is right away if you're not a hardcore hockey fan. But within 20 seconds of watching a certain athlete, you're like, 'Whoa. I need to be watching when this person is on the ice.'"
As for that other Connor? The one who snagged his third Hart Trophy while hitting career highs of 64 goals and 153 points last season?
"He's far and above the best player in the National Hockey League today, and he's only getting better," said analyst Anson Carter of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid.
"I could see him being a modern-day player to hit 200 points," added Bissonnette. "That would be so good for the game. I hope he does it, and I do think he has another gear. I think we're just reaching his prime now, and I think we're going to see (Edmonton) win the Stanley Cup within the next three to five years."
Carter said he believes a return to the Olympics or a World Cup of Hockey would be the opportunity McDavid needs to take his game up another level by skating with Sidney Crosby.
"I would just love to see those two playing together when NHL gets back to best-on-best," he said.
In Carter's mind, the lack of top-level international competition for the better part of a decade has "robbed Connor of the ability to learn from players that would play for Team Canada in the same way how Mario Lemieux learned from Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier in those Canada Cups" back in the 1980s.
Bissonnette does like the Oilers' chances this season. But he's picking the Los Angeles Kings over the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference.
"I love their depth down the middle," he said. "The biggest question mark is going to be in net, but if you've got a good enough team in front of you and you provide that confidence and limit high quality scoring chances, like a team like Vegas, you could have just a competent goalie in net and go on a run."
In the Eastern Conference: "As far as I'm concerned, the East is wide open," said Carter. "I would say that the Ottawa Senators could be my sleeper — maybe not to win, but to get in. And I don't think I can bet against the Carolina Hurricanes. They're a team that I think I could take that next step this year."
Praised for their refreshing and somewhat irreverent approach to their hockey coverage, with echoes of the acclaimed Inside the NBA studio show, WBD announced last month it had come to terms on multi-year extensions with its key NHL personalities: Bissonnette and Carter as well as Lundqvist, who took on a larger role after Rick Tocchet departed to coach the Vancouver Canucks, and NHL legend Wayne Gretzky.
Goaltender-turned-broadcaster Brian Boucher also joins the game-day crew this fall. With Keith Jones now serving as the Philadelphia Flyers' president of hockey operations, Boucher takes over between the benches as an ice-level analyst.
Broadcast highlights on the NHL on TNT calendar this season include a double-header on American Thanksgiving and exclusive U.S. coverage of the 2024 Winter Classic between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken from T-Mobile Park in Seattle on New Year's Day.