As we sit one month in the 2025-26 NHL season, a change of guard is starting to take place as Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard sit #1 and #2 in NHL scoring.
A lot of questions have been raised about Bedard if his size could endure the NHL grind after he had a subpar sophmore season last year. Well he has answered his critics and has been on a tear the last few weeks.
I’ll be the first to say it: the “sophomore slump” narrative for Connor Bedard was always lazy analysis. As someone who has watched the tape, what we saw last season wasn’t a failure; it was a necessary adjustment. Elite talents have to learn to manage the physical toll and the nightly defensive pressure, and he’s clearly done his homework.
We’re seeing the result of that adjustment now. He’s not just surviving; he’s dominating. His shot release is as generational as ever, but it’s his vision and confidence in high-traffic areas this fall that have truly silenced the critics. He’s weaponized his low center of gravity, making him impossible to knock off the puck and allowing him to create space where none exists.
NHL Scoring Leaders
The New Pacesetters: Why Bedard and Celebrini Are Taking Over
And then there’s Macklin Celebrini. What’s truly staggering isn’t just that they are 1-2 in the Art Ross race, but how they’re doing it. They represent the perfect dichotomy of elite, franchise-altering talent.
Bedard is the pure, breathtaking offensive artist—the puck-on-a-string creator who breaks defensive structures and makes goalies look silly. Macklin Celebrini, on the other hand, is the 200-foot beast. He’s the complete package—a relentless motor, a high-impact hockey IQ, and an offensive ceiling that we’re seeing realized right now. He’s the type of player who wins battles in the corner and then beats you with a world-class shot seconds later.
This isn’t just a hot streak; it’s the new standard. For years, we’ve been dominated by the McDavid/Matthews era. What we’re witnessing this November isn’t a transition; it’s a hostile takeover. Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini are the league’s new pacesetters. Their rivalry, born from being drafted back-to-back (2023, 2024), is going to define the next decade of hockey. Get used to it.
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