Auston Matthews shares absurd prediction for Connor Bedard's NHL debut in Chicago

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Mike Armenti
September 27, 2023 (1:47 PM)

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When Auston Matthews was drafted 1st overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016, it became very clear that the Leafs were finally on the up-swing. I don't think anyone could have anticipated just how quickly he would rise to fame during his rookie season.

Back on October 12th, 2016, Matthews blew away many in the NHL sphere with an insane 4-goal debut to open the Leafs' season against their archrival Ottawa Senators. The Leafs may have lost that game, but Matthews surely put everyone on notice that better days were on the way in Toronto.

Matthews was the first rookie in NHL history to come in and score 4 goals in his debut. This morning, ahead of the Maple Leafs' game against the Buffalo Sabres in St. Thomas, Ontario, Matthews met with the media and one of the questions he was asked was whether or not he thinks 2023 1st overall pick Connor Bedard would score 4 goals in his NHL debut as well. Matthews, with a smile, had an answer that I don't think anyone was expecting.

"I'm sure he can get six," Matthews said of Bedard. I'm sure, given the smile, part of him was joking, but it's also very likely that some part of him believes it could actually happen.

Bedard is a special player. Every time an NHLer skates with him for the first time, they always seem to come away from the experience blown away by his tremendous skill, work ethic and intelligence. With the respect that he has been able to earn before he has even played an NHL game, it should go to show you that nothing is off limits for Bedard, who is largely believed to be the next generational talent.

We know that Bedard has done his best to emulate Matthews' trademark drag shot and it has worked out very well for him to date. Granted, there's a large gap in the level of competition between the WHL and the NHL, but the fact that nobody is ruling out a huge debut and rookie season from him should tell us all we need to know about the 18-year-old phenom.