Chicago Blackhawks' Coach Luke Richardson' statement on Connor Bedard's play Friday says it all
At the start of the season, the the Chicago Blackhawks were expected to be better with the additions of multiple players during the offseason. Quite a few were expected to help Connor Bedard, but it seemed as if Bedard himself was off rhythm.
Until the game against the Dallas Stars, he was on a 12-game goalless streak. He broke the dam, on the power-play, as he scored a slick goal over the shoulder of Star's goalie Casey DeSmith.
Now, with the slump broken can the former Calder Trophy winner return to form?
He has 17 points, and 4 goals in 23 games with the Blackhawks this season.
He failed to get a shot on goal against the Philadelphia Flyers, and Florida Panthers inexplicably. But thankfully, it seems he's found his confidence as he has a total of 6 shots on goal in the past two games.
Coach Luke Richardson addressed the end of Bedard's goalless drought, and how he sees his game evolving in the future with Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times:
The power-play goal scored on November 28th put the Blackhawks over former playoff contenders the Dallas Stars.
Whilst this is a positive step in the right direction, will Luke Richardson find any criticism that lands on his doorstep? He did preside over a Blackhawks team that had been in the blender way too often.
Instead of carefully crafting lines, he went boldly where he shouldn't have and put players like Joey Anderson on the same line as Bedard. When we know who works with him better: Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, and Philipp Kurasehev.
The fact that he brought out the blender, I'd argue shows a lack of long-term thinking compared to smart asset management.
BlackhawkUp details this perfectly:
Having Joey Anderson with those two is an example of Richardson crashing the Ferrari that is Bedard. Joey is a nice fourth-line player. He is hard-working and always willing to go battle for the puck. He is just not skilled enough to play with Bedard, and even Anderson knows it.
While a Coach is only as good as his players, Sheldon Keefe had no issue getting 40 points out of Tyler Bertuzzi, and Bruce Cassidy got 60 points out of a healthy Taylor Hall.
I'd argue, that Bedard's development has been harmed by Richardson's moves.
While we can all see the confidence in Bedard's play, what happened between his last goal and the game against the Stars?
The Blackhawks are 8-13-2, with a -10 goal differential in the Central Division. They will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow, who recently beat the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes.
