Get Connor Bedard Some Stability: Shocking Number of Line Combinations This Season
Connor Bedard (Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images)The Chicago Blackhawks have been bad this season and it is not how the team expected everything to play out after all of the veteran additions. This should be a young team that is rebuilding, developing, and seeing improvements, but instead, there's incredibly high inconsistency throughout the lineup and it's negatively impacting the generational talent Connor Bedard.
Through 57 games, Bedard has had 36 line combinations, which is shocking as there is only a maximum of 14 forwards on the roster at once in most cases. Subtract one from that as Bedard counts as one.
Across two head coaches, Chicago has tried nearly everything with Bedard, and even moved him to the wing at one point. There have been 16 other forwards play at least one game for the Blackhawks this season. Even if it has been a short tryout beside Bedard, nothing seems to work well enough to stick.
This is a massive concern for the Blackhawks and for Bedard as every player needs stability. How is he going to create chemistry with anyone or form lasting chemistry that will work for years if Chicago can't stick the same players with him for an extended period of time?
There have been times where it looks like Bedard is going to have somewhat permanent linemates and then it changes again. A few of the best have been Tyler Bertuzzi, Frank Nazar, and Ryan Donato.
This problem has to be addressed in the offseason, and it starts by adding an established star or superstar to the team. It appears as though there are going to be some options and the Blackhawks have the means to offer up more than a number of other teams with the attractiveness of playing with Bedard for years to come.
Bedard needs that and the Blackhawks have to also get into a better system with less change.
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Think about the huge roster turnover we're realistically going to see over the next few years....is getting one big free agent...which they'll have to over pay for....really make any difference? The time for that free agent will be to fulfill a roster weakness when the team is much more mature and planning to reach the playoffs soon. The hawks are some years away from that situation. Hawk fans need to support the team and enjoy the maturation and development process of all the premium talent the team hopefully drafts over this rebuild timeframe. Like Buffalo and Ottawa...it'll take awhile and it's going to result in a lot of losing....and instability!
Rob - I humbly think it's a little naive to point out low stability for a franchise that's in the process of tear down - rebuild. With all the young players that will be developing and coming and going over the next few years, plus some free agents, it is impossible to expect stability. Instability is inherent with a full rebuild.