NHL report causes controversy after releasing statement on Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard is on the cusp of his third year in the NHL. Formerly a 1st overall draft pick in 2023, he hasn't had the best supporting cast in the first two years in the NHL.

Help is on the way, as instead of building through free agency, Kyle Davidson is using the tried and true Tampa Bay Lightning method of building a contender through the draft, which is how the Blackhawks dynasty was built by Dale Tallon.

Now, Wheeler has taken to "X" to call Connor Bedard "underrated," which has angered fans of different stripes and attitudes.

He's played a total of 150 games in the NHL, scoring 128 points (45-83) in two seasons, and won a Calder Trophy in 2024.

Now, with Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov in the league, he'll have some fierce competition to challenge his vigor as an NHLer.

Now, in his third year in the league, his supporting cast has experienced some turnover (Nick Foligno, Teuvo Teravainen, and Ryan Donato are notable veterans, and the youth movement begins to take shape as veterans are let go, and the remaining placeholders stay until prospects turn NHL-ready.

With the right players, can Bedard turn into the 90-100 point player we know he can be? Will he have to be shifted to the wing, or will Anton Frondell be the missing piece of the puzzle?

Either way, it's on him to prove to us he's a superstar, and we hope all the work he's put in during the offseason has paid off.