Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini are going to be outstanding NHL players for a long time.
A hot topic in the NHL over the last 18 months has been the “Macklin Celebrini vs Connor Bedard” debate. The 2023 and 2024 first overall picks are both centers developing into NHL superstars.
The storylines that surround these two often pin them against each other. Being first overall picks in back to back years draws a natural comparison, but some have decided that one has to be good and the other has to be underwhelming.
The fact is, however, that both of them are not only good, but they are stars in every way. Both the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks have forwards that they can build a winning team around.
For Bedard, who grew up in British Columbia just like Celebrini, they are friends who are just trying to help their individual teams win. Neither of them sees this as a competition between the two of them personally. They just want to win.
"It's been fun to watch." Bedard said of Celebrini's play. "Him and I are good buddies. The funny part about it is every time he gets a point or scores, I'm one of the happiest guys. I'm just excited for him, he's doing so well and their team is having success. I know [that's] the most important thing to him."
A lot of reports surrounding the Olympics suggest that Celebrini has the inside track to make the team over Bedard if they were only going to take one. However, both of them are more than deserving as we reach the midway point of November.
After a two-point performance in a comeback win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, Celebrini is tied for second in league scoring with 26 points. Bedard is right behind them in fourth with 25. If they both stay on this pace and don't make Team Canada, then they never really had a chance to begin with.
NHL players are different these days. They root for each other when they are not competing. You will never hear either one of these players say a negative thing about the other, no matter how intense the battles get.
San Jose and Chicago are on similar trajectories and that's great, but Bedard and Celebrini are both hyper-focused on helping their team wins. Nothing else will triumph over that in their hockey lives.
These two teams won't match up for the first time until February. Funny enough, it is Chicago's last home game and second to last game in general before the Olympic break.
The National Hockey League is in a great spot. Its legacy veterans are still putting up big numbers, the players in their true prime are performing at the highest level, and the young stars have arrived in a big way. Bedard and Celebrini are right in the middle of it.
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