Connor Bedard Looking to Improve his Speed in the Offseason

While Connor Bedard enjoyed a mostly successful rookie campaign (61 points in 68 games) it wasn't without its faults. Either in the win column or in the stat sheet when it comes to lost opportunities, from an outside (fan) perspective during the end of the season it appeared that Connor Bedard was just a bit behind when it came to getting off a quality shot. Was this fatigue, offensive awarness, or perhaps was it just the speed of the NHL defense against an 18 year old. Either way, it seems Bedard has identified what he needs to work on this summer:

So now the young #1 overall pick will travel back to where he is comfortable to try and increase his skating stride, seperation, and endurance for an NHL 82 game slate. For any 18 year old, there would have been a bit of a learning curve as the juniors level (WHL for Connor Bedard) wasn't going to mimic any sort of NHL competition.

Hopefully Kyle Davidson and the Blackhawks management and coaching staffs can help out Bedard by increasing the talent and speed around him in the lineup. The addition of Frank Nazar (two years older than Bedard) seemed like a boost of not only skill, but most notably speed into the Hawks' lineup. Will Nazar slot in to Connor Bedard's left side as a wing or will Nazar center his own line is still in question, but having playmakers that can receive Connor Bedard's passes seems imperative to any fan of the Blackhawks at this point.

While each offseason there will be something to work on, it seems clear that Connor Bedard will not be outworked. He will quickly identify the traits he must improve in order to help Chicago reach it's ultimate goal of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup once again.

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