Have We Been Lied To About Connor Bedard?

Have We Been Lied To About Connor Bedard?

How do you know when you’re witnessing the rise of a once- ina generation talent? Not just someone who’s elite, but the kind of player destined to leave a permanent mark on the game. Usually, the signs are all there. A name every scout knows at just the age of 13. Throw in some viral highlight reels, record-breaking stats and junior, and international success, all while being a teenager, and you’ve got yourself the recipe for what looks like the NHL’s next generational superstar. Coming into the league, Connor Bard looked like he fit this criteria. The only problem is he’s on one of the worst hockey teams we’ve seen in years, and it’s already taken its toll. Despite being the most anticipated number one pick since Conor McDavid, some fans still aren’t sold. So, is Conor Maddard truly the future face of the league? Or have we all been wrong about his potential since day one? Well, let’s take a deeper look. After last season, it seems like the Conor Bard hype has somewhat died down. After what was an electric rookie year that saw him take home the Calder Trophy, putting up 61 points in 68 games, the 19-year-old went through a brutal sophomore season. Statistically, his production was just fine. It did dip a bit with 67 points in 82 games, but the Blackhawks as a whole had another miserable year. And what seemed to feel like a regression as a franchise, the spotlight and scrutiny quickly shined on Bard throughout the season and it took a toll. Combine that with the surface stats of a career minus 80, a dip in overall production and under 40% in the faceoff dot, the tunearound Bard being a generational player has quickly shifted, especially when being compared to his year younger countryman and Mlin Celibbrini. But stats only tell a fraction of the story with a player like Conor Bard. For Baddard, it’s clear there’s a good and bad heading into next season. Let’s start with the good. When Bedard broke into the NHL, there were a lot of concerns about his height and size. But what came abundantly clear when watching him play were two things. First was that absurd release, and second was his off puck ability in the ozone to get himself in the right spots at the right time to negate any size disadvantage that he may have. The release has been the number one skill that has caught the eyes of fans since his days in junior. His patented tow jag release is what he’s known for. And in the NHL, only the very best shooters can consistently beat the goalies when one-on-one mono mono, no screen. And from a technique standpoint, Bard’s release is incredibly difficult to track both as a goalie and defenseman. Now, shooting has certainly evolved over the years between technology with sticks, speed of the game, and overall innovation to which how a player releases a shot. A couple years ago and around 2016, we saw the tow drag release iteration catch fire with Austin Matthews. Then Baddard came along and arguably took it to a whole other level with his ability to use it in almost every shooting situation. His mechanics are incredible and it starts with his top hand. Generating power in a shot requires flexing the stick. This is done by pushing outwards with the top hand while applying pressure to the shaft of the stick with the bottom hand to create almost this pushpull mechanic. With Bedard during the loadup, he supenates that top wrist to almost a 90° angle. Not only does this give him more leverage to flex the stick, but it also allows him to pull pucks in tight towards his body to change the angle and shoot in pretty much any scenario. The strength and torque of that top hand allows him to separate his lower and upper body on the release as well. Because he can generate so much power with the top hand positioning and flexion, it allows him to shoot in unconventional and awkward scenarios that almost every other shooter in the world would struggle with. His offseason session went viral recently because he nonchalantly lasered one by the goalie with this tow drag release. Any puck this tight into a player’s feet is almost impossible to shoot with that kind of power and precision. But the power he generates with his upper body compensates for any awkward puck positioning. Whether his toes are pointed in the corner or his momentum is going the complete opposite way, the top half of his body can still generate an enormous amount of power, which often catches goalies completely by surprise. It’s a combination of balance, flexibility, and raw strength. And if you’ve seen the guy’s forearms, you can see where all that power comes from. Next is his off puck roots. And that’s important because that wicker release means jack if Bedard isn’t putting himself in the right areas to touch the puck. As an elite goal scorer, the prerequisite to greatness is not only knowing how to find the soft spots and coverages, but understanding how to create them out of thin air. Watch here how a cerebral player like Cuchv takes note of the defender scanning to see his positioning. He’s got no intentions of truly driving the net here despite what his body language and route suggests. Once the D bites on the initial route, a quick cut back into the slot has him wide open. For Bard, he’s got this type of anticipation in his bag too, as we see against the Islanders. And once he makes this play down low and the Islanders collapse in front of the net, Bard is going to manufacture that space in almost an identical fashion. The defender is going to take a peek to see where he is. And with his body language suggesting he’s going to drive this area of the net, Bard quickly cuts inside once the D takes the bait. And sure enough, he’s left unmarked in the slot where that release can take over. Again, this puck is in his feet. His toes are pointed in the corner, but it doesn’t matter because his upper body stays separate from his lower body. That top hand punches out, and he’s able to instantly release an awkward puck for the game-winning goal. It’s the same awareness that leads to his extended possessions and his playmaking prowess because of his lethal shot. Bard always has it in his bag to be a dual threat. Knowing that he will either pull coverages toward him or have goalies square up to his pending release, he’s damn good at leveraging that to find the open man. This pairs really well with his transition offense. Bard at just 19 years old and on the Blackhawks is in the top percentile of players when it came to zone entries with possession. Yet, Bard isn’t overly fast. In fact, this past season, he was quite slower compared to his rookie year based on speed burst per 60. Now, whether it’s an injury thing or an adjustment in play style, we’ll know more this upcoming season. But despite being a tad slower, it’s how he leverages a variety of speed changes and button hooks off the rush to create opportunities for his teammates. Even if he comes in with a slower approach, he’s thinking faster than most of his peers. Now, once he’s established in the zone, Bard has the vision to funnel pucks into high danger areas quickly because of how well he controls pucks off the wall. Again, only the elite playmakers of the world can consistently take bobble pucks off the dasher and turn it into magic. Baddard’s skill set, creativity, and vision means that he’s able to pull this off quite frequently. Now, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows with Bard. There’s a reason why the Baddard and Celrini comparisons are being made right now. And rightfully so, when you look at some advanced numbers, as well as Celibbrini’s mature 2-way game at just 18 years old. But there’s some important context missing. Last year, the Blackhawks mostly played a hybrid defense. Hybrid is a mix of zone and man-on-man coverage. When the puck is down low, all five players drop into a zone coverage, and when the puck is high, they flex out, and coverage turns into a man-on-man. It’s a system many successful teams, including the Panthers, use, but it requires a lot of communication and cohesion. So far, Baddard’s defensive game isn’t his strong suit. So the objective for Chicago is how can they limit Bard’s time spent in his own end while getting him the puck in transition for offense. The primary way is through double teams. As a younger and smaller build, these 2v1 matchups give Baddard an inherent advantage to strip his opponents when the puck is down low in zone coverage. However, when the puck is transitioned up high, there’s a lot of switches and communications that’s required when flexing to man-on-man. Even if you’re second behind on picking up your check like Baddard is here, that’s all the difference in giving up a quality chance against. And Baddard isn’t a complete liability in his own end. His hockey IQ means he’s got a knack for timing stick lifts and checks to break up plays without having to be overly physical. That being said, if one player misses their assignment or check, it leaves a guy wide open. Because the team as a whole can be a fire drill at times in their own end, creating any sort of breakout for rush offense is like pulling teeth. Whether it’s mist timed passes or just getting swallowed by the pressure, the Hawks D go through long spouts where they get hemmed in their own end and tired legs create all kinds of missed assignments. Combine some of these tactical miscues along with a young and inexperienced team. Bard is in his own end more often and without the puck. It’s also incredibly hard to learn how to play defense when the structure is all over the place. Maybe that changes with the new coach, maybe it doesn’t. Now, the other issue is faceoffs. Conor Badard ended the season with a tough 38.3% on the draw. Now, it’s pretty standard for rookies to struggle in the faceoff dot. Cindy Crosby went through the same thing early on in his career with a faceoff percentage being in the 40s in his first two seasons. Faceoffs are one of those skills that typically come with time. Most lead centermen only become dominant after years of refining their technique. Eventually, over time, you learn how to master the little tricks. How to time the drop, how to subtly cheat the system, whatever it is. as Bard right now is still raw in that area. Even when he’s on his strong side or taking draws on his backhand, veteran players can often overpower him and pull it back cleanly. It’s a detail that has Bard frequently starting the shift without the puck. The other glaring issue that is out of Bedard’s control entirely is that he just needs more help. And between a mid-season coaching change and a carousel of different line combinations every other night, Bard’s sophomore season wasn’t ideal. But he still led the team in points and was their best player at 19 years of age. However, is he still worthy of that generational title? Well, it’s still too early to tell. When you look at the last 21st overall picks and their points per game in the first two seasons, Bard is near the top of the crop. His statistics don’t match the generational talents of Crosby, McDavid, and Ovuchkin. Yet, he’s right there, and he’s doing it on an abysmal Blackhawks team. Whether he ends up being a player close to Matthews or McKinnon, it’s still a win. However, the pressure and expectations will always be there no matter what. Are there aspects of Conor Bard’s game that need work? Absolutely. He’s a 19-year-old center in the NHL, but from what we’ve seen so far, the numbers indicate that he’s poised to become a superstar. Now whether he truly grows into the generational talent that ends up matching the production of his comparisons is something that remains to be seen.

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Connor Bedard’s 2nd season in the NHL raised some questions surrounding the ‘Generational’ tag he was given coming into the league. In this video, we take a deep dive into his strengths, weaknesses & the pressures that come with being the ‘next one’.