The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the worst records in the NHL. However, Connor Bedard makes them worth watching every single night. Things were really bad while he was away for his jaw injury but now they are at least entertaining.
On Tuesday night, he had the best night of his NHL career. He scored a goal and had four assists for the first five-point night of his career. It is tied for the most points a rookie has ever had in a single season.
Bedard's goal was his 20th of the season which is a very good plateau to reach as a rookie. That should be the first 20-goal season in a long line of them.
He also has 31 assists to go with those 20 goals for 51 points in 52 games played. So far, only Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby have had better point-per-game seasons as 18-year-olds in the last 35 years. He can only hope to reach the level that these two guys ahead of him have.
The Chicago Blackhawks are very lucky to have a star like Connor Bedard
It does seem like Bedard has found a new gear though. He looks like he is taking this team and putting them on his back now.
The rookie "take a back seat" approach is not going to work for a player this good no matter how old they are. He is 11 points ahead of Chicago's second-leading scorer and he was out for a month. This is his team.
By this time next year, Bedard should be considered among the best players in the league if he isn't already. We are talking about a guy who could go on to score 700+ goals and have 1300+ points (and that could be the low end of things). He just has to stay healthy and keep getting better.
Brock Faber (and Marco Rossi) of the Minnesota Wild, Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, and Logan Cooley of the Arizona Coyotes are all having great rookie seasons. However, Bedard all but has that Calder Trophy locked up. Nobody is stopping him.
There will always be mistakes that come with rookies. That is especially true if you happen to be a rookie as a teenager. However, Bedard is a star already and is only going to get better. This five-point game was just a glimpse of the future.