The NHL's 2023 top draft pick and leading rookie scorer certainly wasn't going anywhere, but he watched the league's annual nervous ritual with Chicago.
Connor Bedard obviously wasn't changing teams, but the Chicago Blackhawks rookie was able to observe his first NHL trade deadline day up close on Friday at the team's West Side training facility.
"Just kind of the anticipation of the whole day is, you know, is something that is new for a few of us," Bedard said after practice. "I mean in the W(HL) we did it, but maybe it's less, obviously, public and everything."
The Blackhawks dealt forward Anthony Beauvillier to Nashville on Thursday. Chicago also waived depth winger Boris Katchouk and he was claimed by Ottawa on Friday.
"It's a weird day for everyone," Bedard said. "You're on a team and you're together so much. You become so close to everyone, so when a guy goes, and obviously those two, they're going to be missed by our team a lot." See the story in the following link:
Bedard said he and the 26-year-old Beauvillier got to know each other better when both were injured. Bedard was sidelined with a broken jaw on Jan. 5 and Beauvillier suffered a broken left wrist on Jan. 2.
When both resumed skating, they often were the only two players on the ice before or after the Blackhawks practiced as a group.
"We were together a lot. We were skating together for a couple of weeks, just the two of us," Bedard said. "He's a super good dude. It's obviously sad that's he's gone now." See the following video.
Heading into Saturday's game at Washington, Bedard leads all NHL rookies with 43 points in 49 games. His 17 goals are tied for first among rookies with Minnesota's Marco Rossi and Columbus' Dmitri Voronkov.