So far this fall, the Chicago Blackhawks have operated without their best player and new team captain, but that\u2019s about to change in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Connor Bedard<\/a> is on the verge of making his season debut, possibly as soon as Tuesday night when the Pittsburgh Penguins come to the United Center. Head coach Jeff Blashill said after Monday\u2019s practice that Bedard is trending toward being a coach\u2019s decision against the Penguins, indicating he\u2019s very close to his official return from offseason shoulder surgery.<\/p>\n Given the Blackhawks\u2019 early-season struggles without Bedard, Blashill\u2019s latest update is much-welcomed. They\u2019ve won just one of their first six games, with only 12 goals and one power-play tally, and look like one of the NHL\u2019s worst teams yet again.<\/p>\n The Hawks\u2019 schedule hasn\u2019t done them any favors, already having faced four Stanley Cup Playoff teams from last year, but it\u2019s been undeniably disappointing how much they\u2019ve struggled in Bedard\u2019s absence. Especially given the expectations set by the players, coaching staff, and front office entering the season.<\/p>\n Fortunately, they won\u2019t be without him much longer, and it\u2019s needless to say how much Bedard\u2019s speed, creativity, smooth stickhandling, and lethal shot will help the Blackhawks\u2019 chances of clawing out of their current rut.<\/p>\n When Bedard was healthy and at his best last season, the Blackhawks were in the midst of the Western Conference playoff race and on a similar trajectory to the San Jose Sharks. Individually, Bedard was among the NHL\u2019s leading goal scorers and point producers, going blow for blow with Macklin Celebrini<\/a> on the stat sheet.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s easy to pile on the Blackhawks for their disastrous 1-5-0 start, it\u2019s somewhat foolish to over-criticize the team and draw any serious conclusions before Bedard suits up for the first time.<\/p>\n Blackhawks Lineup With Bedard<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s Tuesday or not, Bedard will rejoin the lineup<\/a> as the Blackhawks\u2019 rightful top-line center when he returns, presumably with Patrick Kane<\/a> and Roman Kantserov<\/a> as his linemates. That\u2019s been the combination Blashill has used at the top of his forward lines during the last two practices.<\/p>\n Blackhawks lines in practice today:<\/p>\n Kantserov-Bedard-Kane Byram-Levshunov \u2014 Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) October 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Pairing Bedard with Kane, the franchise\u2019s two most recent No. 1 overall draft picks, will surely excite the fanbase. It will also help stabilize the lineup. The Blackhawks\u2019 top line hasn\u2019t generated nearly enough production this season, with Kane having only two points (1G, 1A). Kantserov also went through his first five games before recording his first NHL goal and point.<\/p>\n Both Kane and Kantserov have been too quiet, and the Blackhawks need them to be better to achieve their lofty goals this year. Having Bedard as their new linemate should only improve on their sluggish starts.<\/p>\n Naturally, Bedard\u2019s return bumps the rest of the center ice men down a notch in the lineup, relieving some of the pressure on players like Frank Nazar<\/a> and Anton Frondell. That\u2019s another way Bedard\u2019s return benefits the team; he lightens the load for everyone else.<\/p>\n Nazar won\u2019t be eligible to play against the Penguins, as he\u2019ll serve the second game of his suspension for an illegal check on New York Islanders\u2019 captain Bo Horvat. If Bedard doesn\u2019t play on Tuesday, it\u2019s likely they\u2019ll return to the lineup together two days later when the Winnipeg Jets come to town.<\/p>\n Once Nazar\u2019s suspension is lifted, the recent lines from practice indicate he could move from center to wing when Bedard returns, as he\u2019s been rotating in with Teuvo Teravainen on the second line alongside Anton Frondell and Tyler Bertuzzi.<\/p>\n Blashill has stood firm on keeping Frondell at center so far this year, and that doesn\u2019t look like it will change once Bedard and Nazar return. Frondell has proven capable of centering his own line, but Nazar is much more experienced at the position. It will be fascinating to see how the center depth behind Bedard develops throughout the season.<\/p>\n Frondell and Bertuzzi have remained a formidable duo, and adding Nazar provides the line with needed pace and playmaking. Playing Nazar on the wing also lets him be more involved on the forecheck, with the hope that he can use his wheels to force turnovers more than he could at center.<\/p>\n Nazar rotated thru for a few shifts on a line w Frondell and Bertuzzi or Teravainen<\/p>\n Bedard has taken every shift w Kantserov and Kane #Blackhawks<\/a> appear close to having their top six finally settled <\/p>\n But the line of Donato, Moore, Lardis, Toninato, etc is still very awkward<\/p>\n \u2014 Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) October 12, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n One player who won\u2019t benefit from Bedard and Nazar returning is Nick Lardis, who\u2019s been unnoticeable in most games so far this year. Lardis is averaging only 10:57 of ice time through six games, and earning more isn\u2019t about to get any easier.<\/p>\n Lardis had a major opportunity in Saturday\u2019s loss to the Hurricanes, opening the game on the top line with Kane and Ryan Greene. But he didn\u2019t do much with it, failing to find the scoresheet with two shots on goal in 15:00 of ice time. The combination found little to no success together and couldn\u2019t establish much sustained possession in Carolina\u2019s end, only making matters worse for Lardis.<\/p>\n Even without Nazar fully participating in line rushes on Monday and Tuesday, Lardis already appears to be on the outside looking in, now skating as the 13th forward. If Bedard returns against Pittsburgh, Lardis will likely be the lone healthy scratch from the forward group.<\/p>\n While Lardis\u2019 usage and role haven\u2019t been ideal this season, he also hasn\u2019t done himself any favors to get out of Blashill\u2019s proverbial doghouse. When given a top-six chance, he hasn\u2019t helped his line produce offensively. His lack of size doesn\u2019t make him a formidable defensive player, either.<\/p>\n Lardis finds himself in no-man\u2019s-land, especially with Blashill pairing Ryan Donato and Oliver Moore on the third line. Neither Donato nor Moore is an ideal linemate for Lardis, as both players are better suited on a checking-style line. That\u2019s not Lardis\u2019 forte, and it could cost him a consistent spot in the lineup.<\/p>\n Conversely, Teravainen fits more naturally as the third linemate for Donato and Moore, offering better defensive play and more experience than Lardis. Teravainen is coming off a career-worst season in 2025-26, but he\u2019s been much better this year when healthy.<\/p>\n Additionally, Andrew Mangiapane is expected to resume skating relatively soon, and he\u2019d also fit better on Blashill\u2019s third line than Lardis. The Blackhawks would also much prefer either Teravainen or Mangiapane as the extra forward on the NHL roster, considering Lardis is still only 21 and in his second pro season.<\/p>\n As the Blackhawks get healthier overall, the roster logjam doesn\u2019t favor Lardis, making him a potential reassignment candidate in the future. That development wouldn\u2019t be ideal for Lardis, but it doesn\u2019t mark the end of the road for him, by any means.<\/p>\n Lardis is still waiver-exempt, so sending him to the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL is without risk. Neither the fanbase nor Lardis would be thrilled with the decision, but the Blackhawks would be justified in it.<\/p>\n After six games, Lardis frankly has failed to cement himself as an NHL player and still needs to figure out how to operate at the highest level. Plus, he could benefit from consistent top-line and power-play opportunities with the IceHogs, rather than fighting for minutes in a third or fourth-line role with the NHL club. <\/p>\n At this point, more development time in the minors is in both Lardis\u2019 and the team\u2019s best interest.<\/p>\n For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now<\/a> and like our Facebook Page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow us on X:<\/p>\n @chihockeynow<\/a>, @JackBushman2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So far this fall, the Chicago Blackhawks have operated without their best player and new team captain, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":685682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5115],"tags":[1824,683,521,3669,37,96,5263,508,800,5,4,20307,857,2821,858,6614,855,4445,9793],"class_list":["post-685681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago-blackhawks","tag-andrew-mangiapane","tag-anton-frondell","tag-blackhawks","tag-bo-horvat","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-chicagoblackhawks","tag-connor-bedard","tag-frank-nazar","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-nick-lardis","tag-oliver-moore","tag-patrick-kane","tag-roman-kantserov","tag-ryan-donato","tag-ryan-greene","tag-teuvo-teravainen","tag-tyler-bertuzzi"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/117432786841932869","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685681","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=685681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/685682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Bertuzzi-Frondell-Teravainen
Smith-Greene-Greenway
Moore-Toninato-Donato
Lardis<\/p>\n
Vlasic-Cole
Kaiser-Rinzel
Korchinski-Del Mastro<\/p>\n