Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini can be friends off the ice, but if the NHL wants to continue to grow among casual fans, it would be nice if their teams developed a great rivalry headlined by these two young stars.

Bedard and Celebrini will finally face off against each other when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the San Jose Sharks.

Celebrini missed the early matchups between these two Western Conference foes with an injury.

Since debuting, last year’s No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft has 20 goals and 28 assists. He is in a tight race for the Calder Trophy despite being on his way toward having better numbers than Bedard had during his rookie season.

Celebrini having a bit more size and being a bit more productive during his rookie campaign has also sparked debate over who is the better player to build around. Bedard has amazing skills, but so does Celebrini and he is a tad bigger.

That debate hopefully is the start of a great on-ice rivalry despite these two being friendly off the ice.

Connor Bedard has been impressed by Macklin Celebrini, who he'll for the first time in the NHL tonight.

"He’s always hounding pucks, and he’s always moving… That’s impressive for an offensive player that is so gifted."

Story: https://t.co/jRpmw0j70L

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 13, 2025

The main reason is the NHL needs an exciting rivalry between two superstars to someday replace the Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin rivalry. Both legends are still going strong as their on-ice rivalry has reached 20 seasons.

At some point, father time is going to force those two to retire. The NHL will need another marquee matchup on the schedule to market. Nothing draws better than a good old fashion superstar rivalry.

It also does not have to be a bad blood rivalry. That will be hard to achieve in the first place since the Hawks and Sharks play in separate divisions in the Western Conference.

However, it would be nice if it develops into a matchup of who produces better numbers, racks up more Hart Trophies, and most importantly, who hoists the Stanley Cup the most.

If those two meet up in the Western Conference Finals to determine who gets a shot at the Stanley Cup, that will only further enhance this potential on-ice showcase of two former No. 1 overall picks.

Plus, they are both in the same age group, whereas a potential rivalry with, say, Connor McDavid has a shorter shelf life because McDavid is already 28.

Bedard vs. Celebrini gives the NHL the chance to have a long run like the Crosby and Ovechkin on-ice feud.

The interesting thing is if the ping-pong balls had bounced in the Blackhawks’ favor during last year’s NHL Draft Lottery, Celebrini and Bedard would be teammates right now. Since it went the Sharks’ way, having a rivalry will have to be the next best thing.