The Chicago Blackhawks were officially eliminated from playoff contention after Thursday’s 3–1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, marking their fifth consecutive year without a postseason appearance.
Even then, 19-year-old Connor Bedard isn’t wavering in his belief that the franchise is headed in the right direction.
“Yeah, big time,” Bedard said when asked about his belief in the future of the franchise. “You’re seeing guys come up and make a difference. I know what I’m trying to do right now is not be so focused on results and just know we’re young, we’re trying to get better and just have fun.”
Now in his second NHL season, Bedard leads the Blackhawks with 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) in 69 games.
Bedard acknowledged the ups and downs this year but sees it as part of the process.
“Up to this point I feel I’ve had a couple little, like, 12–15 game stretches where if you look at points… obviously points aren’t everything, but as a guy who’s supposed to produce, those stretches are what I need to get rid of,” Bedard said.
On top of that lack of point-scoring, Bedard has expressed his frustrations on the ice earning back-to-back misconduct penalties in two of the most recent Blackhawks’ losses.
Anders Sorensen gave an passionate answer today when asked about Connor Bedard’s two misconduct penalties:
“Overall, I think he’s very mature for being 19, especially with the amount of spotlight that’s on him constantly. I’m really impressed with how he handles it.
It’s human…
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) March 17, 2025
Blackhawks head coach Anders Sorensen recently compared Bedard’s struggles to those of Sidney Crosby early in his career.
“Overall, I think he’s very mature for being 19, especially with the amount of spotlight that’s on him constantly,” Sorensen said, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I remember Sidney Crosby went through a lot of that. I remember Peter Forsberg came into the league mild-mannered off the ice, but on the ice, it happens, right?
“They want to win. They want to be successful.”
With a 20–40–9 record and little left but pride and the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2025 NHL draft to play for, Bedard’s focus remains on finishing the season strong.
“Obviously you’re trying to win every game, and you want to win, but we’re going to try to play the best we can,” Bedard said. “Just have fun, enjoy it, and do the best you can.”
