The Chicago Blackhawks are the worst team in the National Hockey League. They have the least amount of points (31) which is why they are 32nd out of 32.
They are tied with the San Jose Sharks for the least amount of wins with 14. One of those two teams will likely have the best odds of winning the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery.
Speaking of the draft lottery, Chicago won it in 2023. That afforded them the ability to select Connor Bedard with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
With that selection, they took Connor Bedard. The Regina Pats superstar was seen as the next generational talent in the NHL.
Connor Bedard is already the best player on the Chicago Blackhawks
So far in his rookie year, he has lived up to the hype. For being the youngest player in the league, he has been amongst the most productive.
Unfortunately, Bedard had his jaw broken on January 5th in a game against the New Jersey Devils. Up to that point, he led the Hawks in scoring with 33 points (15 goals and 18 assists) in 39 games played.
The Hawks have almost no depth so things got bad with him out. Bedard still leads the team in scoring despite being gone for over a month.
Now, on Thursday, we learned that Bedard is going to make his return against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He isn't going to miss a chance to play against his idol Sidney Crosby.
asked my boss and they said I could share this video today pic.twitter.com/gB85SXX6Vw
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 15, 2024
While Bedard was out, Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild was able to tie him in rookie scoring with 33 points. That is remarkable for the young Wild defenseman. However, nobody was able to pass Bedard and now that he's back, he should be able to run away with the rookie scoring lead again.
Despite missing a month, it is hard to see someone else coming out on top in the race for the Calder Trophy. If he stays healthy, he should be the rookie scoring leader as a much younger first-year player and that will be with fewer games played than the other candidates.
Chicago might not be a good team just by inserting an 18-year-old rookie but they will be a much more fun team to watch. This is good news for them and the average hockey fan.