Chicago Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard is officially considered a Top-50 player

Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard is officially considered a top-50 player. Heck, he has already reached top-40 status.

He checked in as the 38th-ranked player in the NHL. Not bad for the wunderkind who just turned 19.

You have to wonder if his ranking would have been higher had he not missed a significant amount of time last season with a fractured jaw. That clearly prevented him from reaching higher statistical marks in goals and assists.

A top-40 ranking is fair for Bedard at this point in his career.

Connor was amazing during his rookie year to win the Calder Trophy. He still has a lot to accomplish if he is to move past Sebastian Aho, Brady Tkachuk, and Mitch Marner in the rankings.

Consider this the beginning of his ascension up the player rankings as Bedard continues to get comfortable playing in the NHL.

His production should increase with the talent around him getting better. Taylor Hall is back from a knee injury that wiped out most of his 2023-24 season. Tyler Bertuzzi was added as a player who can win puck battles in the top six. Teuvo Teravainen is also still productive enough to be a top-line player.

While it was nice to see Philipp Kurashev step up to be worthy of playing alongside Bedard, he is likely more of a second-line guy.

Improving the talent around Bedard will also help the Blackhawks do better in the standings. Right now, Bedard is the only player the Hawks have that can be considered a top-50 player.

Hopefully, Frank Nazar can get there someday along with the other exciting prospects the Hawks have on the way.

Defenseman Alex Vlasic could get there, but he has to improve his offensive game. The lack of top-tier talent is another reason to expect the Hawks to be nothing more than a team that is not leading the Tankathon.com/NHL standings, possibly being in the playoff race until early February, and enjoying Connor Bedard's talents.