The Chicago Blackhawks are putting plenty of faith in Connor Bedard to be their next franchise icon as the team hopes to turn the corner in their rebuild this upcoming season. The organization finished this past season 31st in the league standings, but their record and point total don’t tell the entire story. Just like the year prior, the Blackhawks got off to a slow start in the fall. They won two of their first nine games, and never looked comfortable in the offensive zone.
Luke Richardson was relieved of his duties as head coach in December after spending two and a half seasons behind Chicago’s bench. Anders Sorensen was inserted into the role as the organization’s interim head coach after leading the Rockford IceHogs and their young crop of players at the AHL level. Bedard will have to deal with his third different head coach already in his young career, with the rumor being that Jeff Blashill could be given the job as early as Thursday.
Bedard has logged 150 career games in his first two seasons and is in similar company to that of a Blackhawks’ legend who led the team to three Stanley Cups.
Connor Bedard is similar to Johnathan Toews
Bedard has 45 goals and 83 assists for 128 career points in 150 games through his first two professional seasons. The phenom played all 82 games this past year after missing 14 games in his Calder Trophy campaign as a rookie due to a fractured jaw. Bedard has collected over 20 goals and more than 60 points in each of his first two seasons in the league, and the hope is that he can take a massive step forward in the fall.
Johnathan Toews is one of the most decorated Blackhawks in franchise history. He served as the captain for over a decade and was a driving force in their three Stanley Cups that the organization won in the 2010s. In his first 150 career games, Toews had 60 goals and 68 assists, totaling 128 points. Despite Bedard having way more assists and less goals, the two having the exact same amount of points in their first 150 games is very promising to say the least for fans.
The Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard could turn things around
Bedard mentioned in his end-of-the-season media availability that he knows exactly what he needs to work on this offseason. He wants to get quicker, and he knows that always trying to improve his shot is never a bad thing. The 19-year-old elected to not play for Team Canada in the IIHF World Championships so he could focus more on his training, and Chicago’s front office is hoping that this is something that pays off for them in the fall.
Bedard has all the makings of a great NHL player, and the organization will continue to do what they can to get help around him. This is a talented free agent class, and the front office will have the resources to potentially snag an elite player. With Chicago also holding the third pick in the draft and two selections in the first round again this season, the prospect pool is only going to get stronger.
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