Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard is showing more physicality this year

Last season, if someone took liberties with Chicago Blackhawks’ phenom Connor Bedard, they knew Nick Foligno, Jarred Tinordi, or, honestly, any other veteran Hawk was going to make them pay the price.

Heck, Foligno even broke his finger in January after Brendan Smith caught Bedard in the head with a high hit.

In Pat Maroon and Tyler Bertuzzi, GM Kyle Davidson added some more tough veterans this offseason who are fully capable of dropping the mitts if someone is a little too physical with number 98.

That being said, maybe these enforcers won’t be necessary, after all.

This preseason, Bedard played with an edge he never really displayed last year. It started in Minnesota when Bedard took exception to a shove from the Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek.

Then, in the final preseason game, Bedard started an all-out brawl after sparring with the Blues’ Zachary Bolduc all the way down the ice.

Now, Hawks fans do have a valid reason to be concerned with Bedard’s newfound pugnaciousness. He’s the future of the franchise, and there’s no reason for him to put himself in positions to get seriously hurt – the team was nearly unwatchable last year when he missed 14 games with a broken jaw.

Coach Luke Richardson isn’t a fan, either.

However, Bedard adding a little spice to his game is ultimately a good thing. After a year in the league, he has proven himself and is sending the message that he won’t allow opponents to take advantage of him anymore.

Plenty of superstars before him have proved they are willing to fight when needed: Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby, and even Jonathan Toews have all scrapped at one point or another.

Furthermore, as we saw against St. Louis, Bedard’s teammates are still going to rush to protect him, no matter what. Bedard is growing as a player and person. He is sticking up for himself and showing his teammates that he’s no longer a fresh-faced rookie but a true leader for this franchise.