Chicago has slipped to dead last in the NHL with 30 points minus Bedard, who's still the NHL's leading rookie scorer despite missing the last 11+ games with a broken jaw.
As expected, top 2023 NHL draft pick Connor Bedard was making a splashy impact with the Chicago Blackhawks before he suffered a broken jaw on Jan. 5 on an open-ice hit from Devils defenseman Brendan Smith in New Jersey.
Bedard should return six to eight weeks after getting hurt. That would mean in late February or early March based on medical clearance.
Bedard still leads Chicago with 33 points and is tied for tops on the club with 15 goals heading into the NHL All-Star break despite appearing in just 39 games. Depending on how he bounces back, Bedard probably remains the top candidate for the NHL's Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
But the 18-year-old phenom isn't Chicago's hands-down MVP so far.
Dead-Last Team
The Blackhawks are last in the NHL at 14-34-2 and 30 points. They've scored a league-fewest 105 goals, but have kept most games close since Bedard's injury.
Credit a harder-working, harder-to-play-against group of "survivors" on injury-depleted Chicago. Blackhawks forwards Taylor Hall, Tyler Johnson, Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Beauvillier, as well as defensemen Connor Murphy and Nikita Zaitsev were all on injured reserve with Bedard heading into the break.
Goalie Petr Mrazek has been terrific in a resurgent 2023-24 after a groin injury dogged him in Toronto, then Chicago over two seasons. The Czech netminder, who turns 32 on Valentine's Day, was rewarded with a two-year contact extension that pays $4.25 million annually.
Mrazek would be among the mid-season "trophy winners" if the Blackhawks had team awards based on the NHL's model.
ART ROSS: Connor Bedard, 33 points in 39 games
Bedard paces offense-starved Chicago with 33 points despite missing 11+ games. That's a testament to the rookie's talent, as well as the Blackhawks lack of finish around the net.
ROCKET RICHARD: Connor Bedard, 15 goals in 39 games. Jason Dickinson, 15 goals in 50 games
Bedard has scored some highlight-reel goals, including his lacrosse-style tally at St. Louis on Dec. 23 and his first in overtime to beat Winnipeg 2-1 on Dec. 27.
Dickinson has emerged as a solid two-way center in his ninth full pro season at age 28. Although drafted in the first round (29th overall) by Dallas in 2013, he's never scored more than nine goals before this year.
Dickinson, one three Blackhawks forwards from Georgetown, Ontario on the edge of the GTA, got a two-year contract extension to hang around during Chicago's rebuild.
HART: Petr Mrazek
Gotta' go with Mrazek, who has rebounded as a legitimate No. 1 NHL goalie who gives a thin team a chance to win every game. Mrazek is 12-19-1 with 2.92 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. In his last nine starts, Mrazek is 3-6-0, but has a 2.02 goals-against and .932 save percentage.
Coach Luke Richardson also credits the upbeat goalie as an on-ice leader who talks it up and directs traffic from the crease.
NORRIS: Seth Jones and Alex Vlasic
Jones, who missed 15 games with a shoulder injury, is a steady minutes-eater whose 25:19 of ice time per game leads Chicago and is fourth in the NHL. He can control things, as he should with a $9.5 million annual salary, even if he has just one goal and 14 assists on 79 shots.
The progress of Vlasic, a 22-year-old rookie from suburban Wilmette, Illinois, has been Chicago's most pleasant surprise.The 6-foot-6 defenseman often has been paired with Jones and is averaging 21:12 of ice time per game. He's a plus-2 to lead Chicago blueliners and has a goal and nine assists.
VEZINA: Mrazek
Mrazek is back in the form that made him stand out with Carolina for three seasons — and entice then Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas to give him a three-year $11.4 contract in Summer 2021.
SELKE: Dickinson
Dickinson is assigned to cover opponents' top centers and lines. In addition to his 25 points, he's a team-leading plus-8 on a club that has allowed 72 more goals than it's scored, He deserves some votes for the league version of the this award.
CALDER: Bedard
The numbers are above. Vlasic is a dandy runner-up.
MASTERTON: Colin Blackwell and Nick Foligno
Blackwell, a Harvard product, has come back from tough hernia surgery last March with nonstop energy and something to prove. The 36-year-old Foligno gets props for being this team's de facto captain and keeping Chicago playing "the right way" as losses mount. He received a two-year, $9 million contract extension to keep the Blackhawks on course during their rebuild.