Connor Bedard Will Face Different Pressure in Year 4

Connor Bedard faced an immense amount of pressure in the first years of his career. Not only was he selected first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, but he was also picked by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Because of the state of the team at the time, whenever Bedard had a rough game, fans would make their disappointment clear. As he enters his fourth season with a new five-year contract, signed on July 18, he will face a new kind of pressure.

Bedard’s First Two Years Required Patience

In 2023-24, Chicago was just starting their rebuild. Bedard was 18 years old, and the roster around him wasn’t ready to compete. He and Philipp Kurashev made up a star-studded top line, while Kurashev had the best season of his career with 54 points (18 goals and 36 assists). However, when he entered his second season as the reigning Calder Trophy winner, no player on the roster could match Bedard’s speed or caliber of play.

With rotating linemates, it was up to Bedard to develop on his own. On one hand, it was good for his growth, but on the other, it was a lot of pressure to place on a teenager. When the Blackhawks struggled, it was easy to point to his performance. Bedard showed tremendous effort every game, but with little to no help around him, many assumed he did not live up to the hype.

Blackhawks Roster is Changing

As the rebuild continues, the roster will improve. Prospects will arrive. Veterans are added. Young players will gain experience. As that happens, the conversation around Bedard will change. The better the team around him, the less convincing it will be to assume every team failure rests on his shoulders. It’s easier to appreciate individual success when the group is winning.

As a young team with a lot of potential, management will be watching to see which prospects work best alongside Bedard. Chicago has many good prospects, and we can thank general manager Kyle Davidson for that. He has proven his ability to draft well and turn talented prospects into NHL regulars.

Chicago’s Playoff Push

Since the NHL Draft began in 1963, only 19 of 64 first overall picks have gone on to win the Stanley Cup at least once in their career. Nineteen. The Blackhawks need Bedard to become the player who can dictate a game’s outcome. That’s the next step in his development as the team looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20.

There’s a difference between being a good young player and being the best player on a winning team. A playoff push won’t come down to whether the Blackhawks’ young players are ready. It will be whether Bedard can lead them there.

Blackhawks On the Rise

Bedard is already an NHL star. Now he must be the star on a team that is expected to win more than in years past. That’s a new challenge, and it may tell us more about his ceiling than anything we’ve seen so far.

Chicago doesn’t need him to save the franchise. They’ve spent years building up the roster so he doesn’t have to. They need him to be the centerpiece of everything they’re building. The pressure on Bedard is changing because the organization is finally reaching a point where his talent must translate into something bigger.

Bedard wasn’t drafted first overall so that Chicago could spend a decade talking about how good he might become. He was drafted to be the player who changes everything. We’re getting closer to finding out if he can, and this season should tell us everything.