During a press conference, Luke Richardson was asked if Connor Bedard would get more playing time late in games. Richardson answered and simultaneously upset fans all across the NHL.
Richardson has been criticized in recent weeks for sheltering Bedard too much. These comments will not quiet those complaints from Blackhawks fans. The areas that Richardson does not trust Bedard in specifically have been in the defensive end of the rink.
Connor Bedard is of course known as an all-world offensive talent. Many people knew if Bedard's game had a weakness, it was in the defensive zone. These deficiencies have led Bedard to lose ice time at the end of games.
With Luke Richardson not budging on allowing Bedard to show he can play in these scenarios he will need to show his improvements at other times. If Bedard can show improved defense early in games he could get more time late in crunch time.
For now, Bedard will have to watch late-game moments from the bench.
As Read On - House Of Hockey - Chicago Blackhawks Coach Fires Shots At Connor Bedard
POLL | ||
DÉCEMBRE 19 | 126 ANSWERS Blackhawks Head Coach Calls Out Connor Bedard With His Recent Comments Will Connor Bedard be trusted as a defensive center at any point in his career? | ||
Yes | 75 | 59.5 % |
No | 51 | 40.5 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Patrick Maroon | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Lukas Reichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Marco Rossi | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Matthew Boldy | - | 2 | 2 | |
Travis Konecny | - | 2 | 2 | |
Anze Kopitar | - | 2 | 2 | |
Aleksander Barkov | 1 | - | 1 | |
Quinton Byfield | 1 | - | 1 | |
Noah Cates | 1 | - | 1 | |
Sean Couturier | 1 | - | 1 | |
Jonathan Drouin | 1 | - | 1 | |
Brock Faber | 1 | - | 1 | |
Marcus Johansson | 1 | - | 1 | |
Adrian Kempe | 1 | - | 1 | |
Matvei Michkov | 1 | - | 1 | |
Brandon Montour | 1 | - | 1 | |
Martin Pospisil | 1 | - | 1 | |
Kevin Rooney | 1 | - | 1 | |
Igor Sharangovich | 1 | - | 1 | |
Carter Verhaeghe | 1 | - | 1 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
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 |