CHICAGO – When it comes to his points drop, Connor Bedard says it all comes down to location. Like the areas of the ice where the young forward can perform well for the Chicago Blackhawks.
“I think I have to find good spots for myself and try to get the puck in good areas,” Bedard said. “I think that's a challenge for me right now, getting the puck to a spot where I can play easily. That’s why I somehow can’t handcuff myself.”
Bedard, 19, is going through some growing pains as he begins his second NHL season. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft has no goals and four assists in his last nine games heading into a match against Anaheim.
There's nothing more important to Chicago than Bedard's continued development, so Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson is doing what he can to help – while remaining confident that the dam will break very soon.
Richardson moved Bedard from center field to left wing for the game against the Ducks and also had Jason Dickinson and Joey Anderson on the team's top line. The coach tried several different combinations to find an offense for a team that had scored a goal in regulation in each of its last five games.
But it all starts with Bedard.
“We want to put more shots on net and I think that will help both Connor and the team,” Richardson said. “Dickinson is going well. He's a really good centerman, so that takes a little pressure off. Just let Connor work on his game and don’t worry about the faceoff circle at this point.”
Bedard was great last season and lived up to the hype that has followed him for years. He scored a team-high 22 goals and 39 assists in 68 games and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.
The Blackhawks upgraded their roster over the summer, giving Bedard a greater chance to perform in his second year. But it hasn't worked out that way so far.
Bedard has three goals and 10 assists in 18 games this season; He scored ten goals and seven assists in his first 18 games as a rookie. Heading into the Anaheim game, he has a shooting percentage of 5.6 and a faceoff percentage of 29.3, compared to 10.7% and 38.9%, respectively, in his first year.
With Bedard struggling to find its form, Chicago is off to a 6-11-1 start after finishing last in the Central Division with a 23-53-6 record last season. Before the match against the Ducks they had lost four out of five.
“It's frustrating, but I can't look back on the past games or whatever,” Bedard said. “I just have to keep playing and try to get better.”
Richardson said he talked to Bedard about just playing like his two new linemates.
“Get him to run forward and not really think about it. … Just to make him realize that sometimes the shooting is great and it's a little less about stickhandling and playmaking,” Richardson said. “But if you do that early, I think it opens up later plays.”
