Connor Bedard is on the verge of giving the Blackhawks exactly what they’ve been missing to open the season.
Chicago’s captain looks ready to return Tuesday against Pittsburgh after sitting out since April. Bedard is about three months removed from shoulder surgery in July, and he said he feels normal and comfortable with contact and battles. Coach Jeff Blashill said he is trending toward playing, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan called it a huge boost for Chicago.
Bedard skated Monday on a line with Roman Kantserov and Patrick Kane, which is the kind of combination that immediately gets attention. Blashill said it isn’t simple to jump back into game action after an absence like this, but he also made it clear the shoulder is in a much better place now and that Bedard no longer has the restrictions he dealt with last year. For a Blackhawks team that has opened the year without its new captain, the timing matters.
In Toronto, the early signs suggest something else has changed: the Maple Leafs are moving with more pace.
The NHL EDGE tracking data backs up the eye test. Toronto is already ahead of where it was last season in every speed category, including 10 bursts over 22 mph, up from seven; 128 bursts between 20 and 22 mph, up from 117; and 638 bursts between 18 and 20 mph, up from 539. That extra gear shows up in the way the Leafs are playing - closing space faster, recovering more quickly after mistakes, and spending more time in the offensive zone.
The bigger picture is pretty straightforward. Speed gives a team more ways to pressure the puck and turn loose pucks into chances, and that can help build a different identity.
The caution, of course, is that it’s still a small sample, and skating faster doesn’t automatically mean smarter decisions or more wins. Still, after a season in which the Leafs sometimes looked too cautious, this version looks like one moving with a little more purpose.
Then there’s Philadelphia, where the start has been rough enough to fuel all kinds of speculation.
The Flyers are sitting at 0-5-2, and if that slide continues, changes could be coming. One name already floating around is Owen Tippett, who has six years left on his deal at $6.2 million per season. He’s become a player fans online are connecting to the Oilers, even as some Edmonton supporters push for bigger targets such as Travis Konecny or Matvei Michkov.
There’s also concern about how a long-term addition like Tippett might affect the McDavid re-signing. For now, though, it’s just talk.
Edmonton is tight against the cap, doesn’t have a lot of attractive trade pieces to move, and remains unbeaten in regulation while getting Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins and Savoie back soon. With the roster about to get healthier, Bowman should have a clearer read on what the Oilers actually need before anything real happens.
In Other News...
Oilers May Have Pulled Off Two Steals And One Looks Even Bigger
The early returns on Edmontons recent trade work have been hard to ignore, especially with Vasily Podkolzin giving the forward group a burst the Oilers could use. He has scored seven goals in six games and already looks like the kind of addition that can push deeper into the lineup over time, not just fill a spot in the middle six. For a team that has opened the season with a strong record, those kinds of quick returns can make a front office look awfully sharp.
Devon Levi has added a different kind of value in goal, staying undefeated and turning in impressive numbers in his recent starts. His arrival gave Edmonton another option in a position where stability always matters, and the fact that both moves are paying off at once has only raised the profile of the deals. One looks like a timely boost, the other may be starting to feel like a bigger swing altogether, which is exactly the sort of outcome the Oilers were hoping for. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Keep Winning But This Latest Escape Raises A Real Debate
The Oilers kept their unbeaten run rolling with a 4-1 win over the Kings, moving to 5-0-1 and remaining the NHLs only team without a regulation loss. Leon Draisaitl helped drive the offense, Vasily Podkolzin scored twice, and Connor McDavid piled up four assists in his 800th game, another reminder that Edmonton can still tilt a night its way even when the shot totals say otherwise.
Devon Levi may have been the biggest reason it all held together. He turned aside 39 of 40 shots while Edmonton spent long stretches defending rather than dictating, which only sharpened the conversation around how sustainable this start really is. The wins are piling up, but the formula has looked different enough each night that the Oilers early-season success now comes with a lingering question about what happens when the margin for error finally shrinks. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face A Goaltending Decision That Could Define Their Season
Early in the season, the Oilers are already staring at a familiar but urgent problem in net, with Tristan Jarry, Frederik Andersen and Devon Levi all under scrutiny as the club tries to steady the position. It is the kind of issue that can quietly shape everything around it, from the way Edmonton manages its games to how much pressure lands on the skaters in front of the crease.
The market for a fix looks complicated. Connor Hellebuyck, Sam Montembeault, Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill all surface as possible answers, but each comes with real obstacles tied to contract status, performance concerns or the sheer difficulty of prying a goalie loose. For now, Edmonton may be left weighing whether the cleanest move is no move at all, and simply hoping one of its current options settles in before the season gets away from it. [Read more 🡒]