Connor Bedard has a lot to prove next season

The 2025-2026 season was a great one for the Chicago Blackhawks' Connor Bedard. It was by far his best year in the NHL as he amassed career-bests of 30 goals and 75 points. And he reached those marks despite missing 13 games due to injury.

It was a solid step forward after a sophomore campaign where he failed to meet expectations following his Calder-winning rookie season. Bedard put the work in last offseason, and it paid off with a bounce-back year. ,

Despite a much better performance, Bedard still has his fair share of critics that he needs to silence. There is plenty of runway in his game for him left to find when it comes to reaching that next step of stardom.

2026-2027 should be a "prove it" year for Bedard

Bedard has the potential to be one of the best players in the game; he has shown it in flashes, but not consistently enough. Last year was a perfect example of this, in what was a tale of two seasons. Prior to his shoulder injury, he was producing amongst the very top of the league. It appeared he was having that breakout fans have been waiting for. Unfortunately, after returning, he was not the same as his form had regressed.

It is fair to say the team around him has not done Bedard many favors in his first three seasons. The Blackhawks have finished 31st every year, and he has never had a true elite linemate to work with. Not to mention, he is already on his third coach, Jeff Blashill.

Chicago has been rebuilding throughout the Bedard era so far. There is only so much he can do on a squad lacking a strong supporting cast around him. However, the Blackhawks have slowly been making progress when it comes to becoming a more competitive team. They have made small gains in wins and points. More importantly, most of the future core is here now. Bedard will have more help soon as the team around him continues to get better.

The expectations for Bedard have to be raised moving forward. He will likely be among the highest-paid players in the league once he has extended his deal with the Blackhawks. The captaincy will almost certainly be his. He will be 21 years old and entering his fourth season. It is hard to believe, but Bedard could now be considered a veteran. This is especially the case on a Chicago team with many young, inexperienced players around him.

The standard expected should shift as Bedard leaves his entry-level contract days behind him. He has had ample time to adjust to the NHL, which is a vastly different game compared to what he was used to with the WHL's Regina Pats. And at some point, the linemates' excuse runs out; the elite players can raise the play of the guys around them.

The time has come for Bedard to put everything he has learned together over a full 82-game season. Staying healthy is a must for him, with injuries having affected two out of his three seasons thus far. A consistent campaign that emulates something similar to what he was able to do for the first half of this past season would be welcome.

While the group around Bedard will improve, this team will go as far as he takes them at the end of the day. Look back on last year as a prime example. A fully healthy Bedard put the Blackhawks in the playoff conversation. On the flip side, this team was nowhere near good enough to fight for the postseason without him playing at his best.

If the Blackhawks are to take that leap forward in the rebuild like the San Jose Sharks made this year, Bedard will have to be among the NHL's best next year. If Macklin Celebrini can do it, there is no reason he cannot as well. Scouts touted Bedard as a generational talent when he was drafted first overall in 2023. The moment has arrived to show it.

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