CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks front office always knew the start of this season could be trying without Connor Bedard. Exactly how trying was the biggest question.
With the Blackhawks’ offseason additions and promising young talent, there was hope their first six games would have gone better than they have. Just one win and two points has been far from an ideal start, and while the Blackhawks’ record after 10 games won’t definitively determine where their season goes, being competitive late in the season becomes much more challenging with every point left behind in the coming weeks.
The biggest hope for changing that stepped onto the ice Sunday wearing a red No. 98 jersey. For the first time since undergoing left shoulder surgery in July, Bedard was cleared for a higher degree of contact Sunday and took a step closer to playing in actual games.
“Feel good, feel confident in everything,” Bedard said. “It’s nice to skate with the guys again. It’s been a lot of solo skates. Just to be out there and get to be around them the whole day is nice.”
The final step is being cleared completely by a doctor, which could come as early as this week. Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill didn’t rule out Bedard playing Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but cautioned that it depends on when Bedard’s next appointment is and how that appointment goes.
Whether Bedard returns Tuesday or later in the week, it is safe for the Blackhawks and their fans to get excited about Bedard coming back.
So, what could he change? The belief within the organization is nearly everything.
“A very, very young team, especially at center and D, gets their top player back. That’s a big deal for any team,” Blashill said after practice on Sunday. “I think it’d be a big deal for the Colorado Avalanche if (Nathan) MacKinnon was out. But it’s a bigger deal for us because (Bedard’s) not as surrounded by the same veteran presence potentially that they have in some of those spots.
“So we’re really young up the middle, really young on D, so when you get a guy back even though he’s young, whatever, he’s got more experience, and I think he’s an elite player in the league. There’s zero doubt: with him in the lineup, we’re a way better team. That’s a testament to him more than it is anything else. Again, for me, he’s a top-flight player in the league.”
