Regardless of the outlet, Connor Bedard has been mentioned in the same sentence as the Hart Trophy on several occasions. Only in his age-20 season, Bedard is already drawing consideration in the Hart Trophy Watch from notable insiders like ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. And it indicates it’s just a matter of time before he becomes the front-runner for the award.
But that’s not likely to happen this year under any circumstance. For one, a division rival has the best forward in hockey. Nathan MacKinnon has been doing outrageous things this season for the Colorado Avalanche, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
MacKinnon has 46 points and 22 goals as of Thursday, and both marks lead the NHL. So, unless MacKinnon enters a prolonged slump, or if he ends up missing significant time with an injury, expect him to garner well over 130 points this season. Bedard will have a tough time keeping pace with MacKinnon for the moment.
Chicago Blackhawks don’t have enough starpower to help Connor Bedard
The harsh reality is that the Blackhawks aren’t that good right now. They’re much better than what they have been in the 2020s, they have given fans a reason to believe, and Bedard has been a major part of that turnaround. You can even argue he’s led the turnaround in Chicago, and the Hawks will just keep getting better as Bedard’s breakout season rolls on.
But Bedard doesn’t have a Martin Necas-caliber talent logging over a point per game and helping him out. He has Teuvo Teravainen, Andre Burakovsky, Ryan Donato, Frank Nazar, and Tyler Bertuzzi. Not a bad group, but none of them are surefire NHL stars like Necas. Nazar might get there, but it won’t be this season.
He also doesn’t have a talent like Cale Makar at the blue line. Instead, Artyom Levshunov is Bedard’s best defenseman, but he’s in his first full season and has put up a respectable 13 points and one goal in 25 contests. Levshunov will be a great player and could even boast Cale Makar potential, but that won’t happen this season or even in 2026-27.
Connor Bedard will be a serious contender for the Hart Trophy but it won’t be in 2025-26
Nathan MacKinnon will most likely run away with the Hart Trophy race. But players like Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, who Wyshynski also pegged in as a finalist, will be battling it out year after year for one of hockey’s most coveted prizes.
Bedard will receive Hart Trophy votes this season, and he’s on pace for between 53 and 54 goals and 119 and 120 points. Those are outstanding numbers for a 20-year-old, and it will put more than enough faith in Blackhawks fans that he’s the generational talent capable of leading them for the next 15 seasons.
But the Blackhawks still have at least two years before they transform into an elite hockey team. Still, it doesn’t mean fans can’t enjoy Bedard’s rise, and speculate how close he will get to winning the Hart Trophy now and in the coming seasons.