Did Connor Bedard's Five-Point Performance Win Him the NHL's Calder Trophy?
It was against the Ducks, but Connor Bedard's five points on Tuesday night might have settled all debates about whether he deserves the Calder Trophy, says Ken Campbell.
Let’s get one thing straight right away. The Anaheim Ducks are an epically bad defensive team. Their 7-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night marked the third straight game in which they had given up six more goals.
So there might be a temptation to downplay Connor Bedard’s one-goal, four-assist performance against the Ducks. But a five-point game against any NHL competition is impressive, even more so for a player in his first year in the league.
The Ducks have seen five-point nights this season from Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Warren Foegele and now Bedard. That’s some pretty good company.
And I can’t help but think that when members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association fill out their Calder Trophy ballots after the regular season ends, Tuesday night’s performance will likely be on their minds. In fact, it might be the final tipping point that gives Bedard the Calder that was his to lose from the moment the puck dropped this season.
Defenseman Brock Faber has been really, really impressive this season, and he has been making a spirited run, but I can’t help but think Bedard pulled away for good on Tuesday night.
The one blight on Bedard’s record this season is his terrible plus-minus rating. He’s at minus-36 and will likely pass Gilbert Perreault’s minus-38 in 1970-71 for the worst recorded plus-minus among Calder winners. And he could very well become the first Calder winner in NHL history to also have the league’s worst plus-minus mark. But when you’re facing the matchups Bedard is as an 18-year-old, well, let’s just say he’s not getting a ton of support from his teammates in Chicago.
The same can’t be said, though, for the support he’ll get for the Calder. And games like Tuesday night will go a long way toward solidifying that support.
Here's more: