There’s nothing like the home opener at the Bell Centre.

But tonight’s festivities will be overshadowed by the presence of a generational talent, Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks.

All eyes will be on the future superstar and fans will be left wondering, “what if.”

What if the Canadiens accumulated less points in the standings last season?

What if they managed to win the lottery?

What if he was here in Montreal, rather than Chicago.

It’s a moot point now, but at some point it will cross everyone’s mind.

Bedard is off to a solid start to his career, picking up an assist in his first game against the Pittsburgh Penguins and scoring in his second game against the Boston Bruins. So… What will he do for an encore?

“Everyone says it’s a great place to play, it’s pretty electric and there’s passionate fans,” said Bedard after Friday’s practice. “It’s a pretty special first road trip and we’re excited.”

If one thing’s guaranteed, Bedard shines when the spotlight is on.

Lines:

Montreal Canadiens

Forward:

Caufield – Suzuki – Anderson

Newhook – Dach – Slafkovsky

Pearson – Monahan – Gallagher

Harvey-Pinard – Evans – Ylönen

Defence:

Matheson – Savard

Guhle – Kovacevic

Xhekaj – Harris

Montembeault

Allen

Chicago Blackhawks:

Forward:

Raddysh – Bedard – Donato

Johnson – Reichel – Athanasiou

Foligno – Dickinson – Perry

Katchouk – Guttman – Johnson

Defence:

Vlasic – Jones

Korchinski – Murphy

Kaiser – Tinordi

Mrazec – Soderblom