Connor Bedard Talks Contract Extensions & Jeff Blashill Addresses Blackhawks’ 3-Game Slide

Connor Bedard Talks Contract Extensions & Jeff Blashill Addresses Blackhawks’ 3-Game Slide

last night’s game feel took some steps especially after that Buffalo game. Uh yeah, I think like Buffalo it happens. You know, it’s a obviously not not what you want. It’s a bad performance, but you know, it happens. So, um we weren’t like panicked after anything. you know, we we went into yesterday thinking we’re going to win and um I thought we we had a lot of a lot of positive, but um you know, I think that’s one that that we could have had. Your line got messed up against a lot last night and the handled yourself. What I guess do you see that as an evolution too and you see for I mean for you and Ryan as young guys and sort of responsibility? Yeah, it was fun. Uh obviously he’s been dominant um this year every year that he’s played. So, um, that’s such a good challenge and, uh, you know, I was pretty excited going into the game to to get that and I think you can, you know, really, uh, assess yourself as a group and as individuals when you’re playing, um, a guy like that. So, um, you know, it was fun. Have you, I guess, as the season’s gone, have you thought about the contracts at all? Is that anywhere on on your mind? No. No, not at all really. Um, I’m just playing. Uh, that stuff will happen when it happens. So, uh, it’s not really something that I’ve I’ve thought about at all. Do Do you I guess you pay attention when other people sign or are you looking at I guess the numbers at all or No. No. I mean, I just see it. Um, like everyone sees it. So, um, you know, I’m not looking at that. Uh, yeah, I don’t it’s not something that’s worrying me right now or anything. after the last first couple years of your career, was last night’s game with the tempo noticeably different for you from where maybe games like that might have been with the wrestlers you were in the first two years. Yeah, I mean that’s them and Edmonton are probably two fastest teams in the league, I’d say. Um, but we’re right there like uh you know, we can push the pace with with anybody in the league. So, it’s a lot of fun to play play that way when you have all that speed and um you know, skill that we have. So, uh, I thought, you know, like I said before, it’s great to get, you know, challenge against a team that has been playing the best hockey in the league so far. And, um, you know, when you feel like you can skate with them and and play with them like that, it’s obviously a positive. How are, uh, Luke and Carvine? If I think they’re they’re fine. They’re just kind of maintenance days. Yeah. Yep. Taking care of a couple things. So, I anticipate both in the lineup tomorrow. Wednesday. Wednesday. Barovski. Um, he’s still dayto-day. You know, I’ll probably know a little bit more tomorrow. and uh got to go from there. But progressing same looks uh well different timeline, but with Puis looks like him getting in some some uh drills and everything. Yeah. Yeah, he got thrown at the end on a tough drill, but um uh yeah, he’s you know, he’s we’re trying to get him integrated into some some more kind of I guess real type situation. So, um we’ll continue to do that as we go. Do you know what the overall plan is for him? Uh you know, let’s take that when it comes. I mean, right now, let’s get him to where he’s uh he’s healthy and ready to go. You alluded to it yesterday before the game talking about young players getting acclimated to the NHL lifestyle and and and Connor’s now in year three and he’s had to adjust some things and he said he’s been talking to some of the younger guys. As a coaching staff, what types of things do you talk about to the young guys so they can deal with three and four back to backs? You know, we we talked um there’s a couple different kind of situations like, you know, we’ve talked certainly about um when you don’t have your best stuff, what do you do is you’re not always going to go out there and feel a mill like a million bucks. You, you know, very few games you’re going to necessarily have your best legs. Maybe your hands, you just don’t have it that day. So, what do you do? So, one, you have to make sure you play with your brain, too. So, if you don’t have your best legs, you got to play with your brain. You got to make sure that you play within the structure. Um, and you know, that’s something we probably did poorly in uh in buff two. It’s okay if you’re an offensive guy. It’s okay on some shifts for for the shift to be tied and just to come out and that nothing happens in that shift. That’s okay. You just play that game and sometimes it’s a long game where and and by that I mean and that actually was told to me by Henrik Zedberg years and years ago. And what he meant by that was like you don’t have to force it if it’s not there. And if you you can you can tie your shifts and then at some point maybe you win it on special teams or you win it with a with a a certain play late or whatever that might be. And so those are just learned processes. I think when you’re young you feel like you have to force it when when it’s not going your way when it’s that’s actually the worst thing you can do. I think anytime in life when you try to force things you’re in trouble. So just learning how to kind of take what the game gives you at times and take uh you know depending on how where your game’s at. Um you know not forcing if it’s not there. Were you impressed by how he handled the McKinnon match up? Because I’m sure part of his brain is thinking stop him defensively, but the other part of him is also wanting to stay aggressive offensively. Yeah, I think, you know, one of the things I think the the the best players can do is they can defend and then and then and then kind of off of that uh transition to offense real quickly and Connor can certainly do that. I thought uh he did a really good job in in the matchup overall. Um you know, I you know, it’s not just him. I mean it’s it’s obviously his linemates too and vice versa, but uh I thought ultimately uh you know that that they did a good job and unfortunately you know we we created some really really good chances. We didn’t score on and um and they had some too and um it was a close game that we lost one nothing. Um but you know I I I can’t say that I was not happy with the the the way that we played throughout a lot large parts of that game. Honestly, I went back watched the second until they scored they really didn’t have anything and we probably had opportunities to have more. or we just didn’t either quite connect or or shoot the puck enough. Kind of a random stat, but I think boy, the differential in icings is the biggest in the league negatively. Yeah. Do you think there’s like a skill to kind of flipping it really high so it doesn’t go all the way down or do do you think there’s anything to that? Oh, that’s an interesting stat. I did not know that stat, so I’ll have to uh dive into it. Um, I think I think uh I would say there’s probably two things in that. I would say sometimes you just get half court and and you’re you’re just pounding it out. There’s definitely something to be said for I actually think we’ve probably struggled more the other way where when we go to make a hard play. So when it’s time to make a hard play, not necessarily a tape to tape play, I’m a big believer you’re going to make it hard and it’s got to end up at the far blue. You cannot leave that in your zone. The worst thing you can do is turn the puck over there because that’s when you’re in mega scramble mode. Um and honestly, I don’t think we’ve been good enough at that. Almost more the reverse of what you’re saying. But so I I’d have to dig into it more. Yeah. Dig into it more. So, it’s more to you’re willing to take an icing as long as at least it’s deep. You’d rather have an icing than a turnover. Yeah. And when you’re in scramble mode and Done, I’m a That’s a I’m a big believer in that. Yeah. Because at least then you get reset. You know what I mean? You get a chance to kind of at least get reset off that. We talked about last night. How do you think Samron played? Uh I thought uh I thought as the game went along, he got better and better and better and probably looked as good as he had in a while. I thought in the third period I thought he played really well as the game went along and you know kind of you know how did it show him skating with the puck up the ice controlling the play that’s when he’s at his best. How do you think he and Chris look together on that power play? I think when they’ve been on there they’ve they’ve done a pretty good job but it’s limited minutes limited sample size. Um uh you know so we’ll we’ll see as we keep going along and but you know I thought so overall they’ve done a pretty good job. It’s been a quiet little bit for NAR as of late. I guess what have you seen from him? You know, I think there’s there’s still been moments where he’s created. I think um he hasn’t played quite as uh as good as he had earlier in the year and and you know, that’s the little bit of the eb and flow of uh of the season. So, you know, I you know, I would expect him to kind of get back going at a at a at a higher rate here. Certainly offensively, at some point I took him off that top unit. So, that that can hurt you two ways. It can hurt your production just from a power play standpoint, um which is a big one. And then and then two sometimes uh you know you don’t feel the puck quite as much and that can have some negative effects. So um you know we’ll see where that where that goes. He’s been on it the last little bit. I think he’s got another level to his game uh as of late and you know he he was out with the injury for a little bit probably played a little bit hurt and he’s kind of working through that. as Ryan Green was coming through the pipeline, he was sort of thought as sort of Jason Dickinson, top nine center type. And how have you seen him adjust to, you know, playing topline winger and do you see do you see more, I guess, offensive potential out of him? He’s a he’s a a player who has a lot of skill for a guy who, you know, maybe hasn’t produced at high high numbers on the way up. Um, his skill set is is, you know, his ability to pass, his ability to shoot, just his pure skill set is very good. Um, can he can he do it at a on a top line and and produce the way those guys have to produce? I don’t know that. I honestly don’t until he kind of does it. I don’t know. I know he’s a he’s a he’s going to be a good player in the league. I know that for sure. And I know he can kind of fill different roles. Um, you know, whether he remains a topline player throughout his career. I guess we’ll see. Um, but I think he’s he’s done a good job on that line. He’s he’s he’s smart enough to play with Connor and kind of play off him and Barakovski. um he’s got enough skill to, you know, make a pass to to Connor at the right time or or to to have the opportunity to finish. Um you know, again, does he do it at the rate you need to to be a top couple line player on a on a championship level team? That’s that’s the the you know the question that we’ll we’ll know and hopefully a number of

Connor Bedard and Jeff Blashill address the Chicago Blackhawks’ three losses in a row and share what needs to change moving forward. Bedard explains why early contract extension questions aren’t on his mind right now, staying focused on his game. Blashill provides injury updates on Andre Burakovsky and discusses the recent quiet stretch from Frank Nazar. Get the full breakdown from inside the Blackhawks locker room as the team looks to bounce back.

0:00 Connor Bedard
2:18 Jeff Blashill

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