COMMENTARY: ONE MAN SHOW
Photo: Chicago Blackhawks
(Listen daily for the RP Commentary on Cat Country 98 & LTD Radio)
It’s Random Thoughts Day on the RP Commentary. Here we go:
#1 – During NHL training camp when I said Connor Bedard might be the best player on the Chicago Blackhawks already at age 18, it was actually tongue-in-cheek.
But now 28 games into the season, he is it’s not close.
Poor kid. And just like his days with the Pats, if Connor doesn’t score, nobody does with Chicago.
Bedard got the lone goal for the ‘Hawks in a 4-1 loss at Edmonton last night, and Chicago is the worst team in the league.
Taylor Hall and Corey Perry were signed to help him out this season, but those two vets are long gone now. Hall is one of a rash of injuries to veteran forwards.
Former Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon told us on our Cats ‘N Bolts podcast last week that now teams are focusing on Bedard to defend him, because there’s nobody else on the team. Yet he’s still scoring.
He just can’t do it alone.
Even in Florida I hear it a lot from hockey fans: “Poor Bedard” and “They need to move him to another team.”
That’s not going to happen, but I don’t really for sorry for him.
The struggles make you stronger, and this will just make it sweeter when the Hawks are on top and Connor’s leading the charge.
#2 – That’s a lot more on Bedard than I’d planned. Some more random thoughts?
- The Toronto Maple Leafs play only as hard as they have to. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because if they redline it all year they’ll be burnt out by the playoffs. They don’t need to do anything to this roster.
- I’d be real concerned if I was a Flames fan. They lost again in Vegas last night, and this team isn’t going to make the playoffs. They could start a rebuild, but there’s no guarantee they’re going to be any good after that.
- In Winnipeg, tough news for the Jets that star forward Kyle Connor’s going to be out 6-8 weeks with a knee injury sustained on the weekend. You’ve gotta find a silver lining and at least he’ll be healty for the playoffs. The Jets are one of the best teams in the division.
- In Edmonton, the Oilers have won eight in a row but STILL aren’t in a playoff spot. But at least they’re going in the right direction.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 5 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)
There is a long way to go but a few things With Toronto and how they do just enough. Teams that are heavy like Vegas do not do that. They don’t play down to the level of the opponent. If anyone reads (they don’t). Check out Ken Dryden book The Game. Those Habs has the same issue. If they only got up for Bos/phi/nyr they would have been upset. The same applies to the 1980s Oilers. They wanted to score 9 goals a game and never took the gas off. What’s going to happen is yet another first round knock… Read more »
Young Connor Bedard outclassed Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid. It’s highly suggested that once Bedard’s playing contract expires with Chicago it would be best if he had a restart somehere else on the West coast with a stable team organization.
It would be great to see him as the cornerstone of a resurgent team in Anaheim. I bet he’d love it there too.