CHICAGO \u2014 There\u2019s something different about offseason Connor Bedard.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a little less edge, a little more comfort. Maybe it\u2019s him simply getting into some of his Lululemon swag instead of his hockey gear. But he\u2019s noticeably more relaxed talking to the media after the season than during it. That was true after his first two NHL seasons, and that was even more pronounced Thursday as he answered questions on a wide range of topics for 15-plus minutes the day after his third NHL season came to a close.<\/p>\n
Some of that also comes with being a 20-year-old who has played 219 NHL games rather than an 18- or 19-year-old still figuring out both himself and the NHL. He\u2019ll turn 21 in July. Bedard is now more sure of himself on and off the ice than he\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n
None of that was truer Thursday than when he was asked what it\u2019d mean if the Blackhawks named him their next captain. It\u2019s a question that, in the past, he probably would have politely answered but mostly avoided. Thursday, he took it head-on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019d be an honor,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cIt\u2019d be extremely special. We have a lot of guys in this room who can lead and take on those kind of roles. If I\u2019m the one who is chosen for that, I\u2019d be extremely grateful and that\u2019s not something anyone would take for granted. This is a special organization; it\u2019s been around for 100 years now. You see the names that have gotten that honor, that would be amazing. But whatever fits the team best and whatever Kyle (Davidson) and everyone is thinking on that. Whatever happens, happens with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The follow-up question and answer were just as telling. It was asked if he felt as if he was ready for such a responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019m always going to feel like that,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cHow tight our room is, how close everyone is off the ice, it makes it so easy for anyone to be in that role. If I did get the C, I\u2019m not going to change who I am and become something different just because of that letter. Obviously, it\u2019s an added responsibility that I do think I\u2019d be ready for. But a lot of guys could be ready for it in that room, but it would be a special honor, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019d be shocking if the Blackhawks named anyone but Bedard their captain sometime between now and next season. That\u2019s partly because he is by far the Blackhawks\u2019 best player. But Bedard has also shown he\u2019s more willing to accept being a team leader. He may not approach the role the same as Nick Foligno, the Blackhawks\u2019 last captain, certainly not in how vocal Foligno was, but there are similarities to their leadership traits. Bedard says the right things, does the right things, will do anything verbally or physically to defend his teammates \u2014 he looked keen to fight 6-foot-4, 212-pound Zack Ostapchuk in Frank Nazar\u2019s defense Wednesday \u2014 and will seek to treat the position and organization with respect and class.<\/p>\n
Bedard also has earned the respect of his teammates, young and old.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he stayed steady to who he was,\u201d said Blackhawks forward Oliver Moore, who Bedard described as having an imprint on his couch because Moore was at his place so often. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes him a great leader. He continued to bring consistency on and off the ice. Just the guy he is, with the work he puts in, it can go unnoticed sometimes. Culturally, having your best player be your hardest working is something that\u2019s going to drive guys like me, young guys. I think he continued to bring that every day and that\u2019s what\u2019s going to make him a special leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan Donato, one of the remaining team veterans, shared a similar view of Bedard.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom day one of him being here, he\u2019s been an extremely mature guy that wants to win and always does the right things,\u201d Donato said. \u201cHe\u2019d be a great candidate (for team captain) and very deserving. As a guy that has played with him and been on the team since he\u2019s been here, I\u2019ve seen how he\u2019s changed as a person and player, and he\u2019s shown everybody in this organization, including me, that he knows what it takes to win. He\u2019s put in the work and he\u2019s dedicated and obviously, he\u2019s the franchise player. We want to make sure we play our best for him, but he wants to give his best to every guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Davidson called the decision on the Blackhawks\u2019 next captain an organizational one. He said the organization would take its time with the decision to get it right.<\/p>\n
That commitment between Bedard and the Blackhawks will take the form of a new contract come this offseason as his entry-level deal expires. There were plenty of questions posed to him about the length, term, timeline and more about that coming contract.<\/p>\n
Bedard described himself as \u201ceasy\u201d when it comes to those negotiations, but whether his agents will be is to be determined.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of just wanted to play the year and I\u2019m not worried for a second,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cHonestly, I haven\u2019t thought about it once this year. I know I want to be here and we\u2019ll get it done soon. I don\u2019t think (that) if it\u2019s not done in a month, there\u2019s any worry or anything. It\u2019ll just get done when it gets done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bedard was just as vague as to whether he\u2019s thinking short-term or long-term. He said they\u2019ll figure out what fits him and the team best.<\/p>\n
Where Bedard\u2019s salary cap number ends up will likely impact the Blackhawks in some way. The organization would obviously like to sign him at a team-friendly number for as long as possible. Bedard is cognizant of that to some extent, too. He knows his contract will fit into a puzzle of contracts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, I\u2019m not smart enough to be doing numbers or anything like that,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cI think there is that sort of setting the (precedent) of a lot of our guys. Obviously, Frankie (Nazar) was the first young guy to sign long-term, Vlasy (Alex Vlasic) as well. So, you think about that. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s just seeing what fits the team best, what fits me best and just going from there. I\u2019m very open to however they see it and what they have to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Davidson, he\u2019s already put a lot of thought into how Bedard\u2019s contract fits into the larger picture. Davidson wouldn\u2019t get into specifics, but he was willing to explain the importance of landing in the right financial range.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think (it) probably goes to the larger cap puzzle we\u2019re trying to build and remain competitive within the marketplace,\u201d Davidson said. \u201cIn the end, there\u2019s only so many dollars to go around. You want to build a deep team. You want to build a team you feel is a championship roster, which is why we do this. So we want to get it right. You want to make sure both sides feel like there\u2019s common ground there. So we\u2019ll get down to finding that shortly. But certainly, we want to make sure we\u2019re more than fair, while also understanding that there is a finite amount of money to go around to spend on our roster, again, while being fair to a very good, elite young player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bedard didn\u2019t want to tip his hand too much about his contract. But when it came to his desire to win with the Blackhawks, he was much more direct.<\/p>\n
\u201cI talk about wanting to win, we all want to win, I want to win here for as long as I\u2019m playing,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cAt the end of the day, I have so much faith in the management, the coaching and also our players. We get to see each other every day, how we approach the game, how guys practice, how much skill there is. I would go to bat for any single guy in that room and argue they\u2019re going to reach their full potential because of the mindset and work ethic we have in our group. I can\u2019t be more confident that we\u2019re going to get to where we want to get to. It\u2019s going to be a fun journey. I think that\u2019s what people say they look back on, is kind of growing up together and kind of getting better and better. We\u2019re motivated to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bedard was unsure whether he\u2019d play for Canada at the World Championships. Not having a contract done could factor into that. But aside from that, Bedard was hopeful to build on what he did last offseason. He focused on his skating and getting faster and did just that. His increase in production from 23 goals and 67 points in 82 games last season to career-highs of 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games this season was a product of that offseason work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think kind of similar goals for me,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s going to say faster, stronger kind of thing, but I think trying to get another step is always going to be what I\u2019m doing. If I can get a bit quicker every year, then it\u2019s just going to help my game in so many ways. That\u2019s probably my main goal and just kind of work on everything on the ice and whatever. I\u2019m looking forward to that chance to have some time to improve myself and my game.\u201d<\/p>\n
A year from now, Bedard doesn\u2019t want to be in the same spot again. The Blackhawks have finished in 31st place in all three of Bedard\u2019s NHL seasons so far. He understands that how the Blackhawks are being built takes time and is optimistic about the other young players who have arrived and are still coming. He was non-committal when asked if the Blackhawks should add players in the offseason, but did say, \u201cwhenever you can add good players, it\u2019s going to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bedard put the onus more on himself and his teammates to improve than on Blackhawks management to improve the team. Bedard believes they can be a different team at this time of year next season.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what? As players and coaches, every day you\u2019re trying to win,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cWe have an understanding when we sit back and look at our group and how young we are and whatnot, but on a day-to-day basis, I don\u2019t think rebuild is said in our room one time. We\u2019re trying to win each and every day. We\u2019re not really thinking about that, but with having an understanding somewhat at the end of the day, we know we\u2019ve got to start winning. It\u2019s been a while. I think it takes a toll on you and you want to make that step. We talk about it all the time, but it\u2019s on us to go out there, have good summers, come back and make that leap.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHICAGO \u2014 There\u2019s something different about offseason Connor Bedard. There\u2019s a little less edge, a little more comfort.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":556298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5115],"tags":[521,37,96,5263,5,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-556297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-blackhawks","8":"tag-blackhawks","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","11":"tag-chicagoblackhawks","12":"tag-hockey","13":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116433475626414284","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=556297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=556297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=556297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=556297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}