Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill isn’t hiding what he sees in Connor Bedard: there’s still work to do defensively, but when the game tightens up, he wants his captain on the ice.
That was the message after Chicago’s 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday, a game in which Bedard once again had a hand in the biggest moments. Blashill pointed to the 21-year-old’s edge as the reason he stays out there late.
“ He gets knocked about defense more than he should,” Blashill said of Bedard to NHL media.
“There’s a reason why he’s out there at the end of the game. Because when the game’s on the line, he is hyper competitive.”
Bedard backed that up with 22 seconds left, blocking a key shot on the Kings’ 6-on-5 push and clearing the puck out of the defensive zone. He then forced a holding penalty in the neutral zone, helping Chicago burn off the final seconds.
The Blackhawks needed Bedard’s touch earlier, too. His pass to rookie Roman Kantserov tied the game late in the second period and snapped the team’s power-play drought. Kantserov finished at 16:40 of the second after Joel Armia picked up consecutive penalties.
Chicago kept the lead from there. Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser scored the winner at 7:17 of the third period, and Spencer Knight turned aside 25 shots to help the Blackhawks close it out.
The win also ended a three-game losing streak against Los Angeles.
Blashill’s praise came with a clear acknowledgment that Bedard’s game still has room to grow. The offensive talent is obvious, and that remains the center of what Chicago leans on. But as captain and the focal point of the young core, he’s being asked to become steadier without the puck, too.
That development has been part of Bedard’s climb since being drafted in 2023. He’s shown steady improvement, but each of his seasons has ended with a minus rating, and all of them have been in double figures. This year, he is -2 in six games with two goals and six points.
For the Blackhawks, that balance matters. Bedard can tilt a close game with his offense, but the next step is becoming the kind of player who can do it at both ends. Blashill clearly trusts him when the pressure rises, even while recognizing the defensive growth still ahead.
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