Blackhawks center Connor Bedard may be producing at a slower-than-expected pace this season, but his first 100 NHL games were impressive, and he's got the new coach bump.
Connor Bedard is 100 games into his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks, and he's already leading the team in scoring and playing under a second coach.
After the Chicago Blackhawks fired coach Luke Richardson Dec. 5 and replaced him with interim coach Anders Sorensen, Bedard has been on a better pace than he was under Richardson so far. The 19-year-old has five assists and seven points in six games under Sorensen, compared to 14 assists and 19 points in 26 games under Richardson.
Currently playing on Chicago’s top line with right winger Ryan Donato and left winger Nick Foligno, Bedard doesn’t have elite support on his wings. But Sorensen seems to believe in him and knows how to bring out the best in him for his next 100 games and beyond.
“He’s one of those guys we have to get him up the ice and get skating. That’s when he’s at his best,” Sorensen said of Bedard shortly after accepting the Hawks job. “We all see what he can do when the puck is on his stick. We have to get a way for him to get the puck in motion. That’s the biggest thing right now.”
Bedard reaches the 100-game mark with 29 goals and 87 points. When comparing him with other big-name first-overall forwards who are thriving right now, Bedard's in good company.
Bedard’s total is only three points behind Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews' 90 points through his first 100 games.
But in Oilers superstar Connor McDavid’s first 100 games, McDavid had 34 goals and 108 points.
And in Devils star Jack Hughes’ first 100 games, he posted 16 goals and 42 points.
All three icons are considered franchise cornerstones, and it’s clear that Bedard is playing a similar role in Windy City, no matter what people may say about his sophomore season so far.
Hughes didn’t have as much scoring support as Matthews and McDavid had in their first 100 games, and the same holds true for Bedard. Chicago’s lineup is a dog’s breakfast of talent – players not nearly at the elite level, leaving Bedard to do all the heavy lifting on offense.
And while Bedard can still thrive with the Hawks lineup he currently has around him, he’s not challenging McDavid and Matthews in total points until the Blackhawks have added important young talent. Every star player can always do better when they have top-level talent around them. That said, Bedard still being able to produce as many points as he has with the team around him is even more impressive.
Bedard is feeling the heat to produce at a point-per-game pace and improve on his first NHL season. But with Sorensen behind Chicago’s bench, Bedard will get every chance to assure Blackhawks fans he’s the prodigy hockey people believed he was when the Hawks drafted him first overall in 2023.
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