Bedard ready to take over as Blackhawks’ leader following trades

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard has learned a lot about leadership in his three seasons in the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks forward having good “teachers” in captain Nick Foligno and alternate captains Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson.

Those three are gone, however, traded elsewhere over the past five days, and Bedard is now wearing an “A”. And while he may not be the captain yet, there’s no doubt Bedard is the Blackhawks’ leader now.

“I think you’re just seeing the maturation of a soon-to-be 21-year-old and the weight that he’s carried already at a young age and how he’s seemed to handle it,” Foligno said on Thursday, the day before he was traded to the Minnesota Wild for future considerations. “Especially this year, I think he’s really comfortable in who he is and what he means to this team, on and off the ice.

“It’s a no-brainer in all our eyes for how he’s led us and what he does on a nightly and daily basis in here, so it’s exciting for him to get that opportunity. It’s going to be part of who he is: he’s a leader of this team, he’s going to be a guy that this franchise stands on for a long time. So, it’s exciting that his journey has started.”

Bedard’s on-ice journey continues to be successful, as his 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists) in 48 games leads the Blackhawks this season. He also leads the team with an average of 1.19 points per game and is tied for the Blackhawks lead with three game-winning goals (with forward Tyler Bertuzzi, who will wear the other “A” for the rest of this season).

Bedard wore the “A” earlier this season when Foligno was hurt; he had a hat trick in his first game as alternate captain, a 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Nov. 18.

On Tuesday, the day after Murphy was traded to the Edmonton Oilers, coach Jeff Blashill said Bedard would wear that letter the rest of this season because, “he’s earned it with his commitment to winning hockey.”

The letter means a lot to Bedard, but it won’t alter his approach to leadership.

“I think my genuine self is a leader, so I’m not really going to change. It would be weird if I started giving speeches and stuff, you know? That's not who I am, especially at this stage of my life. Obviously, you get vocal as you go on, but I'm not [silent] or anything. I'll talk. (Foligno) obviously was the biggest role of that and was the loudest voice in our room. It's just an opportunity for everyone to grow in that sense.”

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said it takes some time for young players to get comfortable in the NHL and Bedard has certainly found his comfort level in his third season. The spotlight on him is still bright, but not as glaring as it was his rookie season. He’s more easygoing in the locker room and his great personality is more evident.

“Coming into this season, (with) Connor, we obviously saw his play but just his voice and his ability to command that room and be a presence within the room really took a step forward,” he said. “You feel it when you’re around him, you see it when the group’s just hanging out around the rink or on the road. He’s a guy who people gravitate toward and I believe he’ll continue to grow in that respect and find his own leadership style.”

Bedard said fellow forwards Foligno and Dickinson were like big brothers to him. That’s especially true for Foligno, who took Bedard under his veteran wing not long after the 20-year-old was selected by the Blackhawks with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Bedard hasn’t forgotten the dinners he had at Foligno’s home and the mini-sticks games he played with his kids, and he’ll take some of Foligno’s qualities with him.

“I think obviously (it’s) how he carries himself but, you know, he’s someone who’s more happy for everyone else than he is for himself and I think that’s infectious,” Bedard said. “Our whole room is like that and he’s a big part of that and that’s kind of how you build a team.

“I said yesterday, just like a family, everyone wants each other to do so well and we’re all fighting for each other every day. He’s someone who exemplified that, but at the end of the day, just a good person and fun guy to be around, fun guy to go to dinner with, go to his house, play mini-sticks with his kids, stuff like that.”

The Blackhawks made it a point to have veterans around Bedard through his first three seasons, whether they were protectors on the ice or mentors in the room. Bedard said leadership is a group task, but there’s no doubt he’s the guy out front.

“It's just a collective of the 20-plus guys that we have that are going to fill the voids that we've lost,” Bedard said. “It's not an exciting opportunity, because we're losing a lot of great people, but it's an opportunity for everyone to grow in every sense -- on the ice, off the ice. That's something we're going to do.”