With the possibility of a return to the lineup on Thursday night, the debate returns on whether or not Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard can earn Rookie of the Year honors.
Bedard has been out of the lineup since he suffered a fractured jaw after he was hit by New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith. The reigning first-overall pick has missed the team’s last 14 points, where the team has struggled, going 3-11-0 during that time.
In his first 39 games, Bedard scored 15 goals and 18 assists. Despite having not played in over a month, he leads the Hawks in scoring. He also leads all rookies in goals, and is tied with Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber in freshmen points (33).
On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Colby Cohen discuss, despite missing nearly six weeks of action, whether or not Bedard can win the Calder Trophy, and who Colby thinks should be getting more attention.
Colby Cohen: I think he’s still going to win the Calder, just because I think there’s a major bias, but I don’t think he should, based on missing 14 games…I think Brock Faber should be the favorite to win the Calder, seeing what he’s doing and what minutes he’s been playing. If I have to give you a percentage, I’d say it’s probably still a 50-60% Bedard wins it. I don’t not think he’s been the best rookie, but he’s just missed a significant amount of time, and Faber’s played his best hockey of the season.
Tyler Yaremchuk: The Hawks, in the 14 games since he got hurt, have only scored 21 goals as a team in that span. It has been rough without No. 98 in the lineup.
You can watch the full segment, and entire episode here…
More must-reads: