{"id":586547,"date":"2026-05-29T18:12:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/586547\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T18:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:12:18","slug":"blackhawks-star-connor-bedards-rise-mirrors-nathan-mackinnon-in-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/586547\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks star Connor Bedard\u2019s rise mirrors Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"

Connor Bedard<\/a>\u2018s development path with the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> may look familiar to anyone who watched Nathan MacKinnon<\/a>\u2018s early years in Colorado<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the \u201cSekeres and Price\u201d podcast, NHL<\/a> analyst Craig Button drew direct comparisons between the two former first-overall picks. Button noted that both players won the Calder Trophy, entered rebuilding situations, and faced growing expectations before becoming established superstars.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the 2013 NHL Draft, Nathan MacKinnon was the first overall pick, much like Connor Bedard,\u201d Button said. \u201cAnd at the end of their first year in the NHL, Connor Bedard won the Rookie of the Year, and so did Nathan MacKinnon. And then Nathan MacKinnon was on a team that wasn\u2019t very good, much like Connor Bedard.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE: Avalanche coach Jared Bednar reacts to viral Nathan MacKinnon pool workout video<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chicago<\/p>\n

Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard<\/p>\n

The comparison arrives after Bedard produced the best season of his young NHL career. Despite missing time with a shoulder injury, the 20-year-old recorded 30 goals and 45 assists for 75 points in 69 games. He also showed improvements away from the puck, posting a career-best 47.1 percent faceoff win rate while taking on heavier defensive responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Button\u2019s point is not that Bedard will become MacKinnon overnight. Rather, it points to the fact that elite talent often needs time, structure, and roster support before reaching its peak.<\/p>\n

Nathan MacKinnon\u2019s rise and Bedard comparison\"Colorado<\/p>\n

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena<\/p>\n

MacKinnon\u2019s rise was not immediate after his rookie season. Following his Calder-winning campaign in 2013-14, Colorado struggled as a team, and MacKinnon\u2019s production plateaued. It was not until his fifth NHL season that he exploded into one of hockey\u2019s most dominant players, scoring 97 points, including 39 goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until Nathan MacKinnon was \u2026 in his fifth year in the National Hockey League that Nathan MacKinnon became the all-world superstar, or started to show signs of being the all-world superstar that he is now,\u201d Button said. \u201cI think Connor Bedard\u2019s on a very similar path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Today, MacKinnon is coming off another remarkable season with 53 goals and 127 points, while continuing to drive the Avalanche as a Stanley Cup contender. This was his fourth straight 100-point season.<\/p>\n

Chicago must follow Colorado\u2019s blueprint for Connor Bedard\u2019s development<\/p>\n

The biggest similarity is team context. Chicago finished 29-39-14 and missed the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season. Like Colorado during MacKinnon\u2019s early years, the Blackhawks remain a rebuilding club searching for complementary talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no doubt that he\u2019s a top-line 1A, he\u2019s got all the ability to be a superstar,\u201d Button said. \u201cBut I see so many parallels between where Nathan MacKinnon was and how he progressed and where Connor Bedard is now and how he is progressing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

MORE: Avalanche\u2019s Nathan MacKinnon earns respect after scary face injury<\/a><\/p>\n

Bedard has already proven he can produce despite difficult circumstances. The next challenge belongs to management. Chicago must surround him with skilled wingers, continue developing prospects such as Frank Nazar<\/a> and Oliver Moore<\/a>, and improve its overall team structure.<\/p>\n

If that happens, Button\u2019s comparison could age very well. Bedard\u2019s numbers already suggest a future superstar. The question is not whether he can reach that level, but how quickly Chicago can build a contender around him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Connor Bedard\u2018s development path with the Chicago Blackhawks may look familiar to anyone who watched Nathan MacKinnon\u2018s early…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586548,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5116],"tags":[193,96,192,144,5277,508,6089,800,5,517,4,857],"class_list":["post-586547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-colorado-avalanche","tag-avalanche","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-colorado","tag-colorado-avalanche","tag-coloradoavalanche","tag-connor-bedard","tag-craig-button","tag-frank-nazar","tag-hockey","tag-nathan-mackinnon","tag-nhl","tag-oliver-moore"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116659220893511392","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}