Watching the points race one month into the season gave us a glimpse of the future – even if just for a fleeting moment.
Looking at the mountaintop of goals and assists before Saturday night’s game, no one will see familiar names. connor mcdavid (21 points, third place), jack eichel (21 despite leading for most of the season), nathan mackinnon (20 points, eighth place) or even leon draisaitl (17 points).
it was McLean Celebrini23 points in the first, and conor bedard In second place with 22. According to ESPN Research, Celebrini and Bedard are the only players 20 or younger in NHL history to rank in the top two (tied or outright) in points through that stage of the season or beyond (230 GP).
I found it poetic that hockey fans spent the week celebrating what could have been one of the last meetings between the two greatest rivals in NHL history — Sidney Crosby And Alex Ovechkin – We may be seeing the next big hockey rivalry as 20-year-old Bedard and 19-year-old Celebrini rise up the leaderboard. Like Crosby and Ovechkin, who were selected first overall one year apart (2005 and 2004), Bedard (2023) and Celebrini (2024) are also consecutive first overall picks.
Bedard received the same hype as Crosby upon entering the league. Unlike Crosby, Bedard won the Calder Trophy in his rookie season. But entering the 2025-26 season, there was already some discussion about whether Celebrini is better than Bédard right now.
That conversation is melting away in favor of the excitement that is surely growing in watching future NHL superstars solidify their positions before our eyes. Even if the “rivalry” isn’t as intense as the heyday of Ovi vs. Sid – unless the two meet in the playoffs once or twice – Bedard vs. Celebrini could at least be a battle of the skills and flashes that both clearly have.
Will they remain on top of the points race throughout the season? Probably not. McDavid (still the best player in the NHL), MacKinnon and the rest of the usual suspects will certainly have a lot to say about it. But, even if it’s just for this one fleeting weekend, it’s fun to get a taste of the long-term future of the NHL.
Proceed:
games of the week
what i liked this weekend
Hart Trophy candidates
social post of the week
paste tap
biggest games of the week
I will keep an eye on it New York Rangers This week. So far, they have this wild “Amazon on the road, Teemu at home” record to start the season: 7-1-1 away from Madison Square Garden… and 0-6-1 in the “world’s most famous arena”, with five of those losses coming in the first half. The home shutout mark tied his single-season record in the first seven games!
Rangers host it Nashville Predators on Monday and detroit red wings On Sunday, with two road games– tampa bay lightning And columbus blue jackets –sandwiched in the middle.
This week could either be more of the same or a change of pace for the Broadway Blueshirts. And it’s interesting to watch it unfold.
Tuesday, 9:30 PM ET | tnt
The Ducks are 10-3-1 and lead the Pacific Division. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and their goal differential is No. 2 in the Western Conference at +14.
Their first meeting of the season with a stacked Avalanche team – first in the Central, with the West’s best goal differential at +21 – will be a solid test.
Saturday, 7pm ET | espn+
I’m curious about this game, which is also a rematch of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals – with Rod Brind’Amour, captain of the champion Hurricanes, now behind the bench.
Brind’Amour’s hockey style usually results in few goals for the opposition; The Canes are allowing the eighth-fewest goals per game this season. How will he fare in this tough test against McDavid, Draisaitl and Co.?
Other major matches this week
Thursday, 7 pm espn+
Thursday, 7 pm espn+
Thursday, 10 pm espn+
Saturday, 5 pm espn+
what i liked this weekend
As an avid Puck collector, I’d like to throw some flowers philadelphia flyers And their assortment in the team store. While attending their Star Wars Day on Saturday, I went into the shop and saw a stockpile of sights, legends, and game pucks.
The hallmark of a good collector puck is uniqueness and quality. 3D printing on almost all pucks was a value add, and different materials (metal vs. crystal, for example) provided a lot of variety.
Gritty even had his own Puck with googly eyes and an orange beard. creative.
If you’re a Flyers fan and you walk across this, you’re probably picking up a puck or two.
Hart Trophy candidates if the season ended today
This might be the only week I can do that…
Congratulations conor bedard And McLean CelebriniYou are a finalist for the Hart Trophy if the award is given on November 10, 2025!
If the Capitals were in a playoff position, I would easily put them third logan thompson (.930 save percentage, allowing only 16 goals in 10 games despite a 6-4-0 record). William Nylander He has 21 points – including a league-leading 18 assists – and is plus-8. Alas, he also falls victim to the “your team isn’t in the postseason yet” fate.
you know which team Is Are we firmly in that playoff position as we head toward the all-important American Thanksgiving cutoff? AVS. And they demolished the Oilers 9-1 over the weekend. nathan mackinnon Scored two goals and two assists in that game alone and took the league lead in points – which is pretty rude after all the stuff about Celebrini and Bédard above. That gets the nod as my third choice.
honorable mention: leo carlsonUncle Leo has been in an absolute mess so far this season. He had 45 points last season and through 14 games he already has more than half that number (23); He’s riding a nine-game point streak, I believe we call him a heater! I bet he’s going to be a finalist on this list in the near future.
weekend social media posts
The NJ Devil is one of the best mascots in sports, full stop. When speaking with Devils fans, they will point to his tireless work in the community, creating key memories for kids at Devils home games and keeping the vibes high during those games as the main reasons for the honor.
But I would also add the fact that their social media game is tight; He is regularly collaborating with influencers like Kickball Dad and Frank the Tank. On Saturday, NJ got help from current AEW wrestler Claudio Castagnoli to put a Penguins fan through a table:
Castagnoli, a native of Switzerland, met with his fellow countrymen Timo Mayer, jonas siegenthaler and the devils captain nico hischierWho presented him the Jersey jersey:
paste tap
You may know the story of Logan Coyle, a 9-year-old boy who is battling cancer and asked mascots to send him videos of encouragement earlier this year.
Hundreds of mascots from all sports, including hockey, flooded Logan with videos, gifts and visits.
New York Islanders were among the first to do so Sparky is visiting Logan In his hospital room.
Logan suffered another setback this week, but he fought back and is now back home. The mascots have been sending him all the good messages, and in recent weeks, Logan has been strong enough to attend games and meet some of them in person! I know one of his favorites, the NJ Devil, is waiting to roll out the red carpet to The Rock when he’s ready.
