Blackhawks haven't yet found consistent, effective linemates for Connor Bedard this season
Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson needs to figure out a formula this week that can ignite Connor Bedard.Bedard's wingers on the Hawks' first line have been a near-constant rotation this season, and that's not working particularly well for him."He has to find that consistency no matter who he’s playing with," Richardson said Monday. "But we do have to look at the numbers and see who he’s playing well with — just like everybody else — and maybe go back [to something that worked]. It’s definitely in the bingo machine."The 19-year-old star still leads the Hawks in scoring with 13 points in 16 games — a 67-point full-season pace, slightly below his 74-point pace as a rookie. He has trailed off recently, however, recording only four points (and zero goals) in his last seven games.Overall, he's playing much more respectable defense than last season and his five-on-five offensive rates (in terms of shot attempts and scoring chances) have also increased, but his power-play rates are down. In his last two games — against the Stars and Wild — he has been quiet during five-on-five play, too, tallying only two shot attempts and one scoring chance combined. The Hawks need that to change immediately, starting Thursday against the Kraken."Earlier in the year, I was making a lot of plays, [feeling] pretty dangerous out there," Bedard said. "Lately, I've been [making] less of an impact and not really making a difference, so hopefully I can contribute more."Besides the very real "sophomore slump" phenomenon, another challenge for Bedard is his revolving door of linemates. Nobody has clicked with him the way Philipp Kurashev did last year, so nobody has gotten to play with him all that much, either.Of Bedard's roughly 242 minutes of five-on-five ice time, he has spent 57% of that time with Teuvo Teravainen, 42% with Nick Foligno, 27% with Kurashev, 18% with Lukas Reichel, 16% with Ryan Donato, 13% with Taylor Hall, 9% with Ilya Mikheyev and 7% with Tyler Bertuzzi.That's eight different teammates, only one of whom he has spent more than half of his ice time with. And Teravainen's percentage is dropping, too, since they haven't played together recently — Bedard skated with Foligno and Reichel on Sunday. Last season, for comparison, Bedard spent a hefty 73% of his ice time with Kurashev.The fact Bertuzzi ranks eighth at 7% is a big takeaway, considering he (and Teravainen) were ostensibly signed over the summer to insulate Bedard with more talent and skill sets that complement his. Bertuzzi's puck-battle and net-front acumen was supposed to get Bedard possession and bury his rebounds, but his slowness and lack of creativity made Richardson abandon the experiment during the preseason.It is worth noting that Bedard's time distribution isn't radically different from other young stars on rebuilding teams. Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, for example, entered Monday having spent 55% of his ice time with his most common linemate (Nick Suzuki), 50% with his second-most common (Cole Caufield) and between 19% and 37% with three others.But it's worth asking: Is Richardson jumbling the first line too much, not giving Bedard enough time to find stability with any one combination? Or is Richardson doing the jumbling out of necessity, not wanting to waste valuable games of Bedard's development sticking with a line that isn't working? It's hard to know."It's partly on the player and partly on the coaches to get you to find a rhythm," Foligno said. "As much as you want to see him get with consistent [linemates], we've got to get on a roll as a team. Usually that breeds more consistency and more chemistry with your linemates. "For whatever reason, guys haven't really panned out. [Kurashev] and him, they've tried it, but it stalls out. It's a matter of just finding the right recipe."
Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson needs to figure out a formula this week that can ignite Connor Bedard.
Bedard's wingers on the Hawks' first line have been a near-constant rotation this season, and that's not working particularly well for him.
"He has to find that consistency no matter who he’s playing with," Richardson said Monday. "But we do have to look at the numbers and see who he’s playing well with — just like everybody else — and maybe go back [to something that worked]. It’s definitely in the bingo machine."
The 19-year-old star still leads the Hawks in scoring with 13 points in 16 games — a 67-point full-season pace, slightly below his 74-point pace as a rookie. He has trailed off recently, however, recording only four points (and zero goals) in his last seven games.
Overall, he's playing much more respectable defense than last season and his five-on-five offensive rates (in terms of shot attempts and scoring chances) have also increased, but his power-play rates are down.
In his last two games — against the Stars and Wild — he has been quiet during five-on-five play, too, tallying only two shot attempts and one scoring chance combined. The Hawks need that to change immediately, starting Thursday against the Kraken.
"Earlier in the year, I was making a lot of plays, [feeling] pretty dangerous out there," Bedard said. "Lately, I've been [making] less of an impact and not really making a difference, so hopefully I can contribute more."
Besides the very real "sophomore slump" phenomenon, another challenge for Bedard is his revolving door of linemates. Nobody has clicked with him the way Philipp Kurashev did last year, so nobody has gotten to play with him all that much, either.
Of Bedard's roughly 242 minutes of five-on-five ice time, he has spent 57% of that time with Teuvo Teravainen, 42% with Nick Foligno, 27% with Kurashev, 18% with Lukas Reichel, 16% with Ryan Donato, 13% with Taylor Hall, 9% with Ilya Mikheyev and 7% with Tyler Bertuzzi.
That's eight different teammates, only one of whom he has spent more than half of his ice time with. And Teravainen's percentage is dropping, too, since they haven't played together recently — Bedard skated with Foligno and Reichel on Sunday. Last season, for comparison, Bedard spent a hefty 73% of his ice time with Kurashev.
The fact Bertuzzi ranks eighth at 7% is a big takeaway, considering he (and Teravainen) were ostensibly signed over the summer to insulate Bedard with more talent and skill sets that complement his.
Bertuzzi's puck-battle and net-front acumen was supposed to get Bedard possession and bury his rebounds, but his slowness and lack of creativity made Richardson abandon the experiment during the preseason.
It is worth noting that Bedard's time distribution isn't radically different from other young stars on rebuilding teams. Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, for example, entered Monday having spent 55% of his ice time with his most common linemate (Nick Suzuki), 50% with his second-most common (Cole Caufield) and between 19% and 37% with three others.
But it's worth asking: Is Richardson jumbling the first line too much, not giving Bedard enough time to find stability with any one combination?
Or is Richardson doing the jumbling out of necessity, not wanting to waste valuable games of Bedard's development sticking with a line that isn't working? It's hard to know.
"It's partly on the player and partly on the coaches to get you to find a rhythm," Foligno said. "As much as you want to see him get with consistent [linemates], we've got to get on a roll as a team. Usually that breeds more consistency and more chemistry with your linemates.
"For whatever reason, guys haven't really panned out. [Kurashev] and him, they've tried it, but it stalls out. It's a matter of just finding the right recipe."
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