Connor Bedard isn’t hiding how he feels about a Patrick Kane reunion in Chicago.
Fresh off a long-term contract extension with the Blackhawks, Bedard said he’d love the chance to share a locker room with Kane, even if the veteran winger is now a free agent and weighing his next move. Reports have pointed to two likely landing spots: a return to Chicago or a deal with the Buffalo Sabres, Kane’s hometown team.
On Monday, Bedard spoke about the possibility through Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times and painted the picture in vivid terms:
"I can't imagine his first game back at the UC, the reaction he would get and how much juice that would bring to not only our team but our fans, as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him. Hopefully he decides to come back."
Kane, who will turn 38 in November, is coming off a season in which he posted 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points in 67 games with the Detroit Red Wings.
His career numbers still jump off the page: 1,400 points in 1,369 NHL games, built on 508 goals and 892 assists.
Of course, most of that production came in Chicago. Kane was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, went on to win three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, and piled up 1,225 points in 1,161 games with the franchise. That included 446 goals and 779 assists.
He’s not the same player now as he was in his prime, but Bedard’s point is hard to miss: a Kane return would light up the fan base, and it would give Chicago’s newest star a chance to learn alongside one of the greats.
In Other News...
What Really Helped Convince Connor Bedard The Blackhawks Are Serious
Connor Bedards long-term future in Chicago came into sharper focus after the Blackhawks made a move that signaled they are trying to build something more than just a promising young core. The addition of Bowen Byram gave the organization another proven piece to pair with its rising talent, and it did not go unnoticed by the franchise center as contract talks moved toward an extension.
What stood out most was how the deal seemed to reinforce the message the Blackhawks have been trying to send: this is not a rebuild stuck in neutral. Bedard has been looking for signs that the team is serious about winning sooner rather than later, and the Byram trade appears to have helped answer at least part of that question, even if the full story behind the extension is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Blackhawks Quietly Made A Move That May Have Helped Bedard Commit
The Blackhawks summer work has not been only about roster fit and cap planning. Their acquisition of Bowen Byram also appears to have carried a quieter benefit, one tied to Connor Bedard and the long-standing connection between the two. In a league where star players notice everything around them, Chicagos move seems to have resonated beyond the blue line and into the bigger picture of keeping its franchise centerpiece comfortable with the direction of the team.
Byrams arrival may have mattered in a way that does not show up in the box score, giving the Blackhawks another layer of value from a deal that was already about improving the lineup. For a rebuilding club trying to convince Bedard that the next steps are worth taking together, those kinds of details can matter just as much as the on-ice ones, and this is one of the reasons the move drew attention inside the organization. [Read more 🡒]