Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson wants to determine a formulation this week that may ignite Connor Bedard.
Bedard’s wingers on the Hawks’ first line have been a near-constant rotation this season, and that’s not working notably properly for him.
“He has to seek out that consistency irrespective of who he’s enjoying with,” Richardson mentioned Monday. “However we do have to have a look at the numbers and see who he’s enjoying properly with — similar to all people else — and perhaps return [to something that worked]. It’s undoubtedly within the bingo machine.”
The 19-year-old star nonetheless leads the Hawks in scoring with 13 factors in 16 video games — a 67-point full-season tempo, barely under his 74-point tempo as a rookie. He has trailed off not too long ago, nevertheless, recording solely 4 factors (and nil objectives) in his final seven video games.
Total, he’s enjoying far more respectable defense than final season and his five-on-five offensive charges (when it comes to shot makes an attempt and scoring probabilities) have additionally elevated, however his power-play charges are down.
In his last two games — in opposition to the Stars and Wild — he has been quiet throughout five-on-five play, too, tallying solely two shot makes an attempt and one scoring probability mixed. The Hawks want that to alter instantly, beginning Thursday in opposition to the Kraken.
“Earlier within the 12 months, I used to be making lots of performs, [feeling] fairly harmful on the market,” Bedard mentioned. “These days, I’ve been [making] much less of an influence and not likely making a distinction, so hopefully I can contribute extra.”
In addition to the very actual “sophomore droop” phenomenon, one other problem for Bedard is his revolving door of linemates. No one has clicked with him the best way Philipp Kurashev did final 12 months, so no one has gotten to play with him all that a lot, both.
Of Bedard’s roughly 242 minutes of five-on-five ice time, he has spent 57% of that point with Teuvo Teravainen, 42% with Nick Foligno, 27% with Kurashev, 18% with Lukas Reichel, 16% with Ryan Donato, 13% with Taylor Corridor, 9% with Ilya Mikheyev and seven% with Tyler Bertuzzi.
That’s eight totally different teammates, solely one in all whom he has spent greater than half of his ice time with. And Teravainen’s proportion is dropping, too, since they haven’t performed collectively not too long ago — Bedard skated with Foligno and Reichel on Sunday. Final season, for comparability, Bedard spent a hefty 73% of his ice time with Kurashev.
The actual fact Bertuzzi ranks eighth at 7% is a giant takeaway, contemplating he (and Teravainen) have been ostensibly signed over the summer season to insulate Bedard with extra expertise and ability units that complement his.
Bertuzzi’s puck-battle and net-front acumen was imagined to get Bedard possession and bury his rebounds, however his slowness and lack of creativity made Richardson abandon the experiment in the course of the preseason.
It’s value noting that Bedard’s time distribution isn’t radically totally different from different younger stars on rebuilding groups. Canadiens ahead Juraj Slafkovsky, for instance, entered Monday having spent 55% of his ice time together with his commonest linemate (Nick Suzuki), 50% together with his second-most widespread (Cole Caufield) and between 19% and 37% with three others.
Nevertheless it’s value asking: Is Richardson jumbling the primary line an excessive amount of, not giving Bedard sufficient time to seek out stability with anybody mixture?
Or is Richardson doing the jumbling out of necessity, not eager to waste priceless video games of Bedard’s improvement sticking with a line that isn’t working? It’s exhausting to know.
“It’s partly on the participant and partly on the coaches to get you to discover a rhythm,” Foligno mentioned. “As a lot as you need to see him get with constant [linemates], we’ve obtained to get on a roll as a workforce. Often that breeds extra consistency and extra chemistry along with your linemates.
“For no matter motive, guys haven’t actually panned out. [Kurashev] and him, they’ve tried it, however it stalls out. It’s a matter of simply discovering the precise recipe.”
