The Chicago Blackhawks are starting to see how scary good Connor Bedard can be. It's only actually frightening for the rest of the league, though.
It is Halloween, and the Chicago Blackhawks are not at the bottom of the standings like many projected them to be through the first few weeks of the 2025-26 season.
Despite a tough loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night, they are still 5-4-2, and on pace with the bubble teams in the Western Conference. Is it too early to be looking at the standings? Not really. Teams in a playoff spot on American Thanksgiving usually make it.
The leader of Chicago’s success has been Connor Bedard. The goaltending and skater depth have been solid, but Bedard is looking scary good. In his third season, he seems like the superstar that the Blackhawks hoped to select first overall in 2023.
In the loss to Winnipeg, Bedard collected another two points. That gives him 14 on the season through 11 games. This is a 104-point pace over 82 games, which would shatter his career high.
Being a point per game player is a good goal to start with for Bedard, as he’s almost been that through the first two years of his career. Going over 90 points would suggest that he has arrived as a top player in the game. Breaking 100? Now we’re talking about a superstar that you build the team around.
Next up for Bedard and the Blackhawks is a trip to Alberta, which can be a spooky place to play these days. The Edmonton Oilers aren't off to the best start by their standards (5-4-3), but the talent on their team leaves no fear that they will be in the mix for the Stanley Cup when the year is over.
After that, there will be another four road straight games, which will include a trip to Bedard's hometown in British Columbia for a game against the Vancouver Canucks. If he keeps playing the way that he has, the Blackhawks will hang around the playoff line for the entire season.
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