Connor Bedard was drafted first overall into the National Hockey League by a deteriorating Chicago Blackhawks team. With stars like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews gone, are the Blackhawks, with their newly drafted star, a true playoff contender? Well, let’s analyze the situation the franchise is in.

First off, franchise players Kane and Toews will not be playing for the organization this year. This is a huge blow to the Blackhawks team, but they also gained Corey Perry, an NHL vet who, in the last five seasons, has been to three Stanley Cup finals.

Perry, however; is nearing the end of his career after producing a mild 25 points over the span of 81 games played. The minimal outputs from last season suggest that Perry won’t make much of a difference in Chicago. Luckily, Seth Jones, who is now in his third season with the Blackhawks, is becoming a key veteran defenseman who has proved he is a leader and key scorer for the team; putting up 37 points in 72 games. He will be back this year to anchor the defensive core for this Blackhawks team and to be a mentor for the rookie Connor Bedard.

On the offensive side of things for the Blackhawks, Andreas Athanasiou, Taylor Hall and Connor Bedard are the projected starting three. The veteran, Andreas Athanasiou, will be looked to for goals this season. He finished third in scoring for the team (right behind Patrick Kane and Max Domi who have taken their talents elsewhere) last season with 40 points in 81 games and 20 of them being goals. 

Goalie Petr Mrazek is projected to be the starter for the Blackhawks next season. His performance last season was sub-par with a goal against average being 3.66 and a save percentage of .894. With numbers like that, it is more than likely that the goaltending for the Blackhawks will be yet another problem to add to an already long list.

Judging by the Blackhawks previous season, and the lack of talent on the roster for this season, it seems that the fate of the teams playoff hopes will fall on rookie Connor Bedard. Bedard in his last season with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League scored 143 points in 57 games. With 71 of them being goals, Bedard is making it look easy as he embarrassed one of the top junior leagues last year. Not to mention he also holds the point record by a Canadian at the World Juniors Championships with 36 points in 14 games.

Additionally, just this month, as of September 16th, Bedard demonstrated his skills in a Blackhawks jersey for the first time when he scored a hat trick in the NHL prospects game. In his three goals, Bedard demonstrated how lethal his ability to shoot the puck is,  having scored three goals from 3 different angles. Bedard’s ability to skate should not go unnoticed either. His ability to wheel the puck is so astounding and swift, it is comparable to NHL superstar Sidney Crosby.

Just like Crosby, his smaller size does not stop him from dominating the game. Bedard, although only 5 ’10 ” and 185 pounds, is still a physical player who cannot be knocked over and knows how to hit too as he showed us during his time with Regina.

With the talented rookie Connor Bedard, the Blackhawks are sure to make the playoffs this season. Even though the playoffs are restricted to the top team from each division, and the Blackhawks are faced with tough opponents such as the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars, the ability to squeak into a playoff spot is still present.