Blackhawks Eyeing Superstar Winger to Play Alongside Connor Bedard
The Chicago Blackhawks are entering a new exciting era.
After years of floundering, their fortunes changed for the better when they won the NHL Draft Lottery and the right to pick generational talent Connor Bedard of the Regina Pats.
Bedard is the best prospect the NHL has seen since Connor McDavid is 2015, and is the consensus 1st overall pick.
The Blackhawks will surely take Bedard, who will expedite their rebuilding process.
Chicago was the third worst team in the NHL last year, and were accused by many of 'tanking' their season in order to have the best chance of selecting Bedard.
Chicago is a team bereft of talent, even with Bedard and they have the cap space to improve their team in the upcoming NHL Free Agency.
Superstar Duo
On the most recent episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, hosts Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek floated the idea of Russian star Vladimir Tarasenko joining Chicago in free agency.
Friedman mentions that Vladimir Tarasenko would make sense on a "short term deal".
Marek says that the Blackhawks need to surround Bedard with "skill and toughness".
Russian Running Mate
Tarasenko is a veteran scorer who has produced big numbers every year in his career with the Blues and Rangers.
He had a solid year last year with 50 points in 69 games with the Blues and Rangers.
The Blackhawks have oodles of cap space, and can afford to overpay in order to get a star to play alongside their generational talent.
Bedard needs to be put in a position to succeed next year, and he must play with players with talent. Currently the Hawks don't have much high-end forward talent.
Adding Tarasenko to a short term deal allows the player to cash in, play with a superstar, and potential join a contender at the Trade Deadline.
This allows Chicago to acquire proven veteran scoring with Cup experience to a team that has little in the way of experience.
And if all goes well, they can trade Tarasenko at the deadline for future assets, which are valuable in a rebuild like Chicago's.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 21 | 171 ANSWERS Blackhawks Eyeing Superstar Winger to Play Alongside Connor Bedard Should Tarasenko sign in Chicago? | ||
| Yes | 89 | 52 % |
| No | 82 | 48 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||