Nathan MacKinnon recently defended Connor Bedard against criticism over his performance this season. The Colorado Avalanche star pointed out that Bedard, at just 19 years old, is nearly averaging a point per game—a feat MacKinnon himself struggled with at that age.

Nathan MacKinnon reflects on his own journey while defending Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard’s stats have slightly dipped compared to his rookie season, some fans have noticed a decrease in his skating speed. Despite this,Nathan MacKinnon emphasized that development takes time, noting that he didn’t hit his stride in the NHL until his fifth season.

In 2017, the Colorado Avalanche ended the season with the worst record in the NHL. At that point, Nathan MacKinnon had yet to surpass the 63 points he recorded in his rookie year. “I wasn’t a pro,” he said to The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. “I didn’t 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.”

While Chicago and hockey fans might be getting concerned, MacKinnon believes Bedard is progressing just fine. “He’s a 19-year-old kid and he’s close to a point a game,” MacKinnon said. “I’d have killed for that when I was 19. I had like 30 points. He’s doing great.”

MacKinnon is now considered one of the top players in the modern game, but he acknowledges that, unlike Bedard, he wasn’t the go-to player early in his career.

“I wasn’t 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, it’s 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.”

MacKinnon’s perspective highlights the patience needed for young stars to develop. He believes Bedard is on the right path and will continue to grow into the role expected of him. With time and experience, Bedard has the potential to become one of the league’s elite players, just as MacKinnon did in his own career.