Blackhawks fans must temper expectations with Connor Bedard early in 2024-25

When someone urges an entire fanbase to temper expectations for a star player throughout what will be Year 2 of their career, it’s often taken in a negative light. But for Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks, tempering expectations shouldn’t be a bad thing, because failing to do so could indicate the team didn’t make any proper improvements. 

Just over two months ago, we saw that general manager Kyle Davidson was more than willing to do all he could to bring a respectable team to town, and that’s good news for any hockey fan in the Windy City. This brings us to Bedard who, without a doubt will look like a better player now that the game will be slower for him and the fact he won’t need to be the entire team. 

But let’s focus more on the latter point, and why it’s wise to temper expectations for Bedard’s productivity. For one, bringing in more talent provides an opportunity for good players like Bedard to evolve into the great players we know they will be, but it also requires a learning curve. 

There’s a chance we’ll see the Blackhawks seek to build chemistry early and, from there, enjoy the fruits of that chemistry play out. But it probably won’t happen early, and it’s not a bad thing. This means Bedard’s numbers, as he grows used to playing alongside Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi, plus those new faces at the blue line, could stagnate early, but let’s not panic. 

Lowering expectations for Connor Bedard will pay off big for Blackhawks fans

This doesn’t mean Bedard and Company won’t get their points - they will, and as a result, the Hawks will be more fun to watch even in those early stages. But this still isn’t a short-term fix or build, but one that will still, even with more championship-caliber talent in town, take time for that chemistry to come together. 

This also means, barring injuries or sudden lineup changes, all things being equal, in other words, that Bedard and Company could be slated for a big second half of 2024-25. And this is what we should judge not only Bedard, but the entire team on this season. 

It’s one thing to say something like, “Yeah, Bedard was great from January until April, but did you see how inconsistent he was early?” If that’s the case and it could easily be, mind you, it’s important to remember just how far behind the 8-ball Chicago still is against not only their Central Division rivals, but the Western Conference. For now, anyway. 

So instead, let’s judge this team on what they will do once that chemistry is ready to roll, something we’re far likelier to see in 2025 than we are in 2024, and I’m speaking of the calendar year, obviously.  Now, once Bedard breaks out for good, set those expectations as high as you want, and even then, they still may not be high enough.