The Chicago Blackhawks are a young group that has a lot of inexperience in their lineup. Even with the handful of veterans they do have, it will be difficult for them to escape the basement level of the NHL standings, truly. 

It certainly isn’t impossible, however, as we’ve seen way less talented teams make runs to the postseason in the past. Chicago’s superstar, Connor Bedard, is confident that they can be that type of team. 

For one, the players on the team have to like each other off the ice if they are going to play well in between the whistles. According to Bedard, liking each other may be an understatement. 

"We are such a close group,” Bedard said. “We're keeping tabs on each other all summer. When you get that kind of camaraderie and family aspect, it makes it that much more fun to play hockey." 

When it’s a squad led by young players who were all high-end first-round picks, there are going to be commonalities that allow them to connect. On the ice, there are a lot of different ingredients that will help cook a delightful hockey meal. 

It is part of pro sports for money to have an impact on rosters and their ultimate competitive level. In the NHL, a league with a hard salary cap, it happens every year. Although Bedard is making $15 million a year over the next five years, he could have landed more, but he chose to do right by Chicago. 

"I'm very happy with the amount of money I'm making. It's a lot,” Bedard said. “The offer sheet...is going to be a different value. That didn't change anything I was thinking. Chicago is really the only place I want to play."

Bedard also said both sides were happy with how the deal turned out. Everyone wants to win, and it becomes easier when stars take a bit of a hometown discount. If Bedard keeps on the trajectory that he’s on, his cap hit will look like a bargain very quickly. 

If he had taken too much money, nobody would have blinked an eye, but it would have been a cause to be less confident in the team on paper. 

When asked about what the team might be able to do offensively, he quickly switched to team goals in general:

"I think you think about what the team (as a whole) can achieve," Bedard said. "We want to take a big step this year. We want to be a playoff team. That's our only goal."

Bedard went on to talk about the skilled additions that they made, including Roman Kantserov and Bowen Byram, but also the physical guys who will make them hard to play against on the other end of the rink. 

"We feel good about our group," Bedard continued. "We're extremely confident in each and every guy in the room and the growth we've all had this summer."

Whether the Blackhawks end up being a playoff team or not remains to be seen, but they have a better roster now than they did on the final day of the 2025-26 regular season. If they can get through his injury without being buried too far down the standings, anything is possible. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.