Blackhawks Superstar Poised to Shock NHL

Bedard's skating and shot have never been questioned, but it's not exactly known whether he has the potential to develop into a 100-point player, especially on a poor Blackhawks team that requires him to be at his best every night. Chicago has built around him, with many bright prospects coming through the pipeline, but even still, the offense seems likely to only go as far as Bedard takes them.

After besting his rookie season total of 61 points through 68 games, with a great follow-up campaign in his sophomore season last year (67 points in 82 games), Bedard appears primed to climb a few significant steps up the proverbial ladder.

The brilliance that Bedard brings to this ice is thanks to his ability to stickhandle through defenders, with very limited space. But also, in the way he can throw off defenders with headfakes and quick, subtle skating routes that misdirect the opposition.

With some added strength, Bedard, while not the biggest guy, could benefit from driving the puck through the middle of the ice, and challenging defenders by dropping his shoulder, and taking the good old-fashioned approach of physically engaging them, en route to the net.

Bedard also appears to be a step or two quicker, which, in open ice, could stand to allow him to pull off end-to-end rushes. The magic of Bedard's game is that he is a constant threat as a shooter thanks to his drag-and-curl release, but he also opens up additional scoring chances, thanks to his very good playmaking.

Add into the mix the fact that Frank Nazar and Sam Rinzel will be in the mix to take a big step in their respective development, and Oliver Moore, who despite being a center could get his start on the wing, and Chicago has some nice young pieces to help, and complement Bedard in his pursuit to drive the bus, and potentially lead the Blackhawks out of the Western Conference basement.

Only the San Jose Sharks, who had 52 points, were worse statistically than the Blackhawks, who finished the 2024-25 campaign with 61 points, and now that Bedard has had two seasons to acclimate to the league, he doesn't appear keen on achieving anything less than a Wildcard spot at the end of the 2025-26 82-game schedule.