Bedard Experiencing Growing Pains In Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — When it comes to his scoring slump, Connor Bedard is all about location. As in the areas of the ice where the young forward can deliver for the Chicago Blackhawks.

“I think I got to find good spots for myself, try to get the puck in good areas,” Bedard said. “I think that’s something that’s been tough for me right now, getting the puck in a spot that makes it easy to make a play. So I kind of can’t handcuff myself.”

The 19-year-old Bedard is going through some growing pains at the beginning of his second NHL season. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft had two assists in Tuesday night’s 3-2 loss to Anaheim, but he hasn’t scored in his last 11 games — a career-long drought.

There is nothing more important for Chicago than Bedard’s continued development, so Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson is doing what he can to help — while expressing confidence that the dam is going to break very soon.

Richardson moved Bedard from center to left wing for the matchup with the Ducks, and he also had Jason Dickinson and Joey Anderson on the team’s top line. The coach has tried several different combinations in an effort to find some offense for a team that has seven regulation goals in its last six games.

Bedard set up each of Dickinson’s two goals in the loss to Anaheim, but he was credited with just one shot on goal in 20 1/2 minutes on the ice. He was held pointless in Thursday’s 3-1 Hawks home win over Florida.

“I thought Connor and Dickinson found each other really nice, and Joey always does some great responsibility work with whoever he plays with,” Richardson said, “so it really worked out and it clicked a few times tonight.”

Bedard was terrific last season, living up to the considerable hype that has followed him around for years. He had 22 goals and a team-high 39 assists in 68 games, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

The Blackhawks upgraded their roster over the summer, giving Bedard an increased chance for more production in his second year. But it hasn’t worked out that way so far.

Bedard has three goals and 12 assists in 20 games this season; he had 10 goals and seven assists in his first 19 games as a rookie. He has a 5.5 shooting percentage and 29.7 face-off percentage, down from 10.7% and 38.9%, respectively, in his first year.

With Bedard struggling to find his form, Chicago is off to a 7-12-1 start after it finished last in the Central Division with a 23-53-6 record last season. It has lost five of seven overall.

“It’s frustrating, but I can’t go back to the past games or whatever,” Bedard said. “I just kind of got to keep playing and keep trying to get better.”

Richardson said he talked to Bedard this week about playing simple, like his two new linemates.

“Get him skating forward and not really overthinking it. … To get him just to realize that sometimes shooting is great and there’s a little bit less stickhandling and playmaking,” Richardson said. “But when you do that early I think (it) opens up plays later on.”