Nathan MacKinnon on Connor Bedard's stagnant production: 'I'd have killed for that when I was 19'

DENVER Its hard to imagine now now that hes always bull-rushing through the middle of the ice at preposterous speeds, putting hapless defenders on the back foot and helpless goaltenders on their backs, now that hes posted three straight 100-point seasons, now that hes a Stanley Cup champion, now that hes arguably the best hockey player on the planet.

Advertisement But Nathan MacKinnon once genuinely feared for his job.

It was the summer of 2017, and the Colorado Avalanche had just finished dead last in the NHL, with a truly pathetic 48 standings points.

MacKinnon was going to be 22 by the time the next season started a four-year NHL veteran.

And the No.

1 pick in the 2013 draft wasnt exactly living up to the hype.

He followed up a strong 63-point rookie campaign with just 38 points in his second season, then 52 and 53 over the next two seasons.

He was maxing out as a second-liner.

He was off the power play for significant stretches.

The cant-miss prospect wasnt exactly missing, but he wasnt exactly hitting either.

It was like, I have to turn my career around here, or theyre going to trade me, MacKinnon recalled.

So he added a sports psychologist to his personal team.

He started thinking bigger about his career and smaller about the little details and habits that go into being a world-class athlete.

He got serious.

He, as he put it, worked on my mind.

I wasnt a pro, he said.

I didnt know how to treat my body, work on my game, do all the little things away from the rink to have success on the ice.

I had a lot of figuring out to do.

There were things you could do in junior that are much different in the NHL.

The next season, MacKinnon had 39 goals and 97 points in 74 games.

Hes averaged 1.42 points a game ever since and has been a Hart Trophy finalist four times, finally winning it last season following an absurd 140-point season.

All this to say, no, Nathan MacKinnon isnt worried about Connor Bedard.

Hes a 19-year-old kid and hes close to a point a game, MacKinnon said.

Id have killed for that when I was 19.

I had like 30 points.

Hes doing great.

Theyre not the same player, of course, and they entered the league in very different situations under very different levels of public scrutiny.

MacKinnons game is built on speed and strength, Bedards on his shot and instincts.

MacKinnon called himself a depth player his first couple of seasons, while Bedard has been the Blackhawks No.

1 center from day one.

MacKinnons team won the division his rookie year and he was surrounded by established talent such as Matt Duchene, Ryan OReilly, Gabriel Landeskog and Paul Stastny; Bedard was on the second-worst team in the league, skating alongside journeymen stopgaps and AHL tweeners.

Advertisement And, still, MacKinnons first two seasons pale in comparison to Bedards.

I wasnt the guy by any means, MacKinnon said.

There was a lot of learning, a lot of difficulties, obviously.

Everything was new and everything was different.

It feels like another career, honestly, its a long time ago now.

But I remember it really well.

I had a lot of fun, but there were so many things that I did wrong.

So many things.

There are similarities between MacKinnon and Bedard, too, though.

Just about all rookies go through the same thing: the sobering realization that the NHL is a whole lot harder than what youre used to.

Learning to lose, learning to handle goal droughts, learning to handle the ebbs and flows of an NHL season its not easy on anyone, let alone a teenager.

My whole life, I was obviously a top player growing up and in junior, so that didnt feel normal to me, MacKinnon said.

It definitely takes some time.

I think Connor looks great, honestly.

He creates so much.

Sometimes the pucks just not going in for him.

It happens.

When MacKinnons thoughts were relayed to Bedard down the Ball Arena hall in the next locker room on Monday, Bedard was flattered.

Getting eviscerated by broadcasters, poked and prodded and picked apart by local reporters and doubted by fans with unreachable expectations comes with the gig when youre a No.

1 pick.

Its easy to brush off.

The opinion of your peers carries a lot more weight.

Thats great to hear, Bedard said.

Obviously, hes one of the top players in the league.

Hes just been dominating, especially these last couple years.

It means more when someone youre playing against, competing against, says something about you than a media person or someone like that.

Obviously, its nice of him to say that.

Bedards playing style might not match MacKinnons and likely never will, but every time he gets a chance to go up against one of the leagues best Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, MacKinnon Bedard watches them intently.

The best always steal from the best.

Advertisement Hundred percent, Bedard said.

Obviously, hes way faster than I am, but just his mindset of attacking, and the way he just puts guys on their heels so much.

Some of thats due to his speed, but also just how hes attacking middle ice.

As I get older, I want to get faster.

Ill never be at that level of skating, but (I want to have) that mindset of putting guys on their heels and attacking.

MacKinnons not alone in his thoughts, either.

Players throughout the last two seasons have marveled at not just Bedards abilities, but his steely ability to handle the pressure he faces as the anointed savior of a once-dominant franchise.

In an interview with The Athletic on Sunday, Jonathan Toews who knows a little bit about trying to resurrect a Blackhawks team said, I dont think there are any veteran guys in the league, even the superstars, that really know what its like to be Connor Bedard, because nobodys ever dealt with the hype hes dealt with.

Patrick Kane, a fellow No.

1 pick, outright laughed earlier this season when it was suggested that some in the hockey world have found Bedards first two seasons somewhat lacking.

He was the rookie of the year last year, hes around a point a game this year, Kane said.

Hes had an incredible start to his career and he hasnt really I mean, I feel like they have good pieces around him, but the team hasnt really been in a great spot.

I feel like its put a lot of pressure on him.

Does any of this mean Bedard will have a career as successful as Toews and Kanes? Or become as historically productive as MacKinnon? Of course not.

But Bedards first two seasons shouldnt be looked at as anything close to a disappointment.

Yes, he went without a point in the Blackhawks 3-0 loss to MacKinnons Avalanche on Monday.

Yes, he had a seven-game point drought that he recently snapped.

Yes, his goals-per-game and points-per-game average is slightly down this season from last, with 17 goals and 35 assists in 65 games.

But players such as MacKinnon, Toews and Kane serve as a reminder that it doesnt happen overnight for everybody.

You dont have to start your career as dominant as Sidney Crosby to become dominant.

You dont have to win the Stanley Cup in your third season to win the Stanley Cup.

You dont have to live up to the hype your first two years to live up to the hype.

Sometimes it takes time.

And sometimes its well worth the wait.

(Photo of Connor Bedard and Nathan MacKinnon: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.