One burning question the Blackhawks have yet to answer in 2024-25

While the headline of this article may invoke some mystery, the burning question facing the Blackhawks might be the obvious one. It’s an inquiry every fan may have had on their mind since, um, the middle of the 2023 calendar year, but it remains unanswered. 

Hopefully, I just dropped a major hint on what that question entails, but if you still need help figuring it out, let me just ask it: When will Connor Bedard start taking over games? Overall, Bedard has looked good this season, and we can expect an upward trajectory as his second campaign progresses. 

But, his shooting percentage is down there with some mediocre defensemen, let alone forwards, at a meager 6.0 percent. Yikes! It’s not for a lack of trying, as Bedard has a staggering 50 shots on goal this season, good for 3.3 per game, and he’s second on the team next to Lukas Reichel (seriously) in through percentage at 58.1 among all Blackhawks skaters with at least 11 games played. 

When will Connor Bedard start taking over games for the Blackhawks?

Here’s my projection: Connor Bedard is closer to taking over games than he is to just providing supplementary scoring and helpers so others can score. Yeah, it’ll be a while before we can honestly say he’s truly a complete player, but nobody’s expecting that from a 19-year-old who is playing for, let’s face it, a bad hockey team. 

Still, he’s doing everything asked of him, and given the number of shots he’s taking per game, they’ll start finding twine as opposed to an opposing goaltender’s stick, glove, or pad. Is it frustrating to watch? Absolutely. But Bedard’s already shown he has more than enough talent to be the Hawks star player as he continues to develop his game.

As the Blackhawks continue to figure things out amongst themselves and mesh as a hockey team, Bedard will slowly but progressively begin to take over games. Will it happen in November 2024? I’m not saying it won’t, but I’m also saying that I would be surprised to see it occurring more than perhaps once or twice. 

Now, come the 2025 calendar year after this revamped team has played together for a while? Oh, I’m not only believing we’ll see Bedard becoming a headache for opponents more often, but I’m expecting it. As noted earlier, it’s only a matter of time until the Blackhawks, and Bedard, answers this question.