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Less is more for Blackhawks' Connor Bedard as he prepares for his third NHL season
No, Connor Bedard hasn't been spending his offseason quietly texting Mitch Marner or Nikolaj Ehlers or any other pending unrestricted free agents and trying to convince them that Chicago is the place to be, trying to orchestrate his own dream line, or anything like that.
'No, I don't have too many guys' numbers yet,' Bedard said with a chuckle.
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If Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a quiet summer, if André Burakovsky is indeed the biggest acquisition he makes, Bedard sounds perfectly comfortable with that. He knows Davidson's grand plan, he understands the timetable, and he's on board with all of it.
'I really like my teammates, and I feel like we have a lot of guys that are very skilled, and they're going to step up,' Bedard said in a conversation with The Athletic on Wednesday. 'That's including myself. I have a lot of areas in my game to grow, so that's what my focus is. Whether we bring in guys or don't bring in guys, that's not going to affect us. We're going to go out there and work hard and try to win games.'
That's just it. Bedard is too busy worrying about making sure he becomes the player the Blackhawks need him to become to worry about playing general manager, as well. Bedard has scored 45 goals and handed out 83 assists in 150 NHL games — outstanding numbers for a teenager — but is well aware that he's expected to do more. To score more. To win more.
And that starts by doing less.
Of all the things Bedard has learned over his two NHL seasons, a trial by fire if ever there was one, his latest lesson might be the most important: The guy needs to chill out every once in a while. Take an optional practice off. Skip a morning skate. Get off the ice right when practice ends, not an hour later. Former head coach Luke Richardson used to joke about hiding Bedard's skates just to get him to take a day off, but it seems that a frustrating sophomore campaign has finally driven the message home.
Going easy on yourself every now and then isn't a sign of weakness. It's a source of strength.
'It's how you're training, how you're resting,' Bedard said. 'It's your volume, and just figuring out when you can really push and when you can hold back a little bit. Working hard, but also working smart. It's definitely something you learn with the schedule you have during the year. You're always going. So you want to make sure you're feeling good, and take some steps to let your body recover from some workouts. I always work super hard, and always want to be on the ice, and that's kind of what got me here. But figuring out a balance for myself is something that I'm learning to do.'
Bedard wouldn't go so far as to say he was fatigued at times last season, but he did have a 12-game goal drought in November, scored just one goal in an 11-game span starting in February, then had an eight-game goal drought before a strong finishing kick in the final week of the campaign. There were significant stretches during which he simply wasn't feeling his best, and it showed in his production levels.
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'There were some gaps in my game for a couple stretches of the season,' he said. 'Obviously, I'm young and should be pretty fresh, for the most part. I just thought there were a couple times in the year where I wasn't feeling my best, and obviously that's on me to do the right things. I've learned a lot about how I can keep that consistency. Because when I'm at the top of my game, I feel like I'm a pretty impactful player. So if I can be there — or close to there — almost every night, that's going to make a big difference.'
That's not to say Bedard is getting lazy, of course. He had to wait a bit in late April and early May for players to return from the playoffs or from Worlds, but he's been on the ice regularly with his Vancouver crew, which includes Macklin Celebrini, Kent Johnson and Mat Barzal, among others. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will join them, too, once he recovers from the Edmonton Oilers' grueling run to the Stanley Cup Final. Bedard said the on-ice sessions can get pretty heated, and sometimes have a game-like feel when everyone's really going and pushing each other.
When he is on the ice, Bedard's focus has been on his skating. His goal for his second NHL offseason is to get faster, and to do so without sacrificing the parts of his game that made him one of the most highly touted prospects in league history. In the Western Hockey League, finding open ice was easy, and so was unleashing his world-class shot. In the NHL, finding that room and that time is a lot more difficult. And while he'll never have Connor McDavid's wheels, any extra kick could give him an extra split second to do something special.
'That's where I could gain another level to my game,' he said. 'I think I have a lot of skill and I can think the game at a high level. If I can get maybe an extra step to get away from guys and put guys on their heels a little more, that would be a thing I can add to my game. I feel pretty good about what I've done so far.'
Bedard said he doesn't know 'a whole lot' about new head coach Jeff Blashill's playing style, but being faster is good for any system. He had a 'great conversation' with Blashill shortly after the coach was hired, and Blashill was texting him things and players to watch for throughout the playoffs. Bedard said Blashill's excitement about coming to Chicago has been contagious for the players, and that former interim head coach Anders Sörensen returning as an assistant was particularly important. Blashill is Bedard's third head coach in just two-plus seasons.
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Bedard's next great linemate could be joining the organization on Friday night. This is the first draft in three years that Bedard won't be attending, and for the first time in a while, he only knows the names from watching and reading about them, not playing with or against them. Bedard finally turns 20 in a few weeks and will be a third-year NHL veteran in the fall. He's not just a kid anymore, and he hasn't been a prospect for two years. He's the No. 1 center of the Chicago Blackhawks, and he will continue to shoulder a huge burden to keep a very young team afloat offensively.
Nothing new there. But maybe a little more time away from the rink will make it a little easier to bear.
'I don't know about being a veteran,' he said with a laugh. 'But getting the full 82 games last year really gives you an idea of everything you need to do to be your best. Coming into the league, you don't really have a great idea of it. But you learn. I'm a couple years in now, and I feel like from Day 1 to now, I know a lot more about the league, and the schedule and everything, and that's pretty nice. When we do go back to camp, I know what to expect.'
A few other thoughts from Bedard:
On if he's been talking with the Blackhawks about a contract extension, which he can sign as soon as Tuesday: 'I'll keep that pretty close to my chest. We have a great relationship and everyone knows I want to be a Hawk as long as I'm playing. And I know they appreciate me and want me with the team. Once you know that, there's no stress or anything about that. Whether it's done next week or during the year or at the end of the year, that doesn't stress me out too much. Anything can happen, but the relationship with me and the team is really strong.'
On if he had any regrets about skipping Worlds once Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon joined Team Canada: 'I was at peace with my decision not to. When you get an opportunity like that, it's hard not to go. I love playing hockey and I knew a lot of guys over there and knew how special that opportunity was, to play for your country. But for me, I felt the best decision to feel the best for next year and put myself in the best position for Oct. 5 or whenever our first game is, was not to go this year. You want to be there, you miss out. But I feel good about the decision, for sure.'
On how it might have affected his chances to make Canada's Olympic team: 'I have a good relationship with Hockey Canada. They were really respectful of my decision and understood. If I'm going to have a chance at the Olympic team, I'm going to have to have a pretty good start to the year, whether I went to Worlds or not. So my focus is on the Blackhawks, and if I can play my way onto that team, that'd be unreal. But I am going to have to play my way on.'
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On Frank Nazar's 12-point performance for Team USA: 'It was awesome seeing him and (Alex Vlasic) experience the win. His growth throughout the year was amazing; he was lighting teams up. At the end of the year, he was getting five or six breakaways a game, almost. It'll be pretty fun to see him coming into next year with all that confidence.'
On Ryan Donato sticking around: 'That was great. You know how good he was for us last year. He had all the goals and everything, but it's just what he does all over the ice. He's always working, always high energy, and he causes so much havoc out there. Plus all the goals. It's awesome to see him re-sign.'
On the Blackhawks' closing 3-1-1 kick, and how it changed the vibe heading into next season: 'When we got younger, we just had that energy, and we were having a lot of fun at the rink. Those last few games, we looked pretty good, and we were playing what we felt was a high-stakes game in Montreal. They were trying to make the playoffs and we could disappoint their fans a bit. Little things like that, and being with such a young group, it's exciting. We can't wait to get back at it.'
