Who are the Blackhawks best options to play with Connor Bedard?

The Chicago Blackhawks had a relatively quiet day one of free agency. The big move of the day was the big-ticket extension of newcomer defenseman Bowen Byram to a six-year, $12.5 million contract. Outside the Byram deal, it was calm for Chicago by July 1st standards. General manager Kyle Davidson made a couple of depth additions with forward Cole Smith and defenseman Ian Cole. He also added a few pieces to bolster the Rockford IceHogs.

The summer is early, and the Blackhawks roster could still look different by the time next season rolls around. However, based on Davidson's comments in yesterday's press conference, it appears the team could be done making moves for now. He is putting his faith in the young core he has drafted to get the job done.

Davidson addressed the defense with the Byram and Cole acquisitions. He also added some sandpaper with Smith and Jordan Greenway. Disappointingly, he has not been able to find that vaunted top-six forward who can play with Connor Bedard. Assuming nothing comes to fruition on the trade front, the wingman for Bedard will have to come from within the organization. Who are the team's best options to fill this role next year?

Roman Kantserov

The most obvious candidate here is Roman Kantserov. He is the best wing prospect in the franchise; he is coming off a strong KHL career with Magnitogorsk. If Kantserov projects the way Davidson believes, he could be the ideal Bedard linemate this team has long searched for. With that said, he will be a 21-year-old rookie next year. It could take him some time to make that NHL transition. Plus, there will be a lot of pressure placed on his shoulders with the lack of offseason moves towards the top of the forward rotation. He will be expected to slot in on line one and be an immediate threat on day one. If he is able to do so and put himself in the Calder conversation, Davidson won't look bad for not addressing the top-six.

Anton Frondell

Yes, Anton Frondell is a natural center. Davidson outlined his objective of making center Frondell's primary position. With that said, would it not make sense to pair Frondell with Bedard? Talking strictly in terms of which player's game would best gel with Bedard, it is hard to argue a better fit on this team than Frondell. Especially with the lack of activity in bringing in a star veteran piece up front, moving Frondell to Bedard's wing would be logical at present. Let the two forwards develop that chemistry together. They can always be split up to drive their own lines later when this team has taken that step forward.

Frank Nazar

The dilemma is similar to that of Frank Nazar, as it is with Frondell. He will likely play center as well next season in a third-line role behind Bedard and Frondell. There is the argument that a player of Nazar's caliber should not be placed in the bottom six. Nazar has already shown chemistry with Bedard throughout his NHL tenure. Not to mention, the two are best friends off the ice. They know each other well. Why not play them together like the San Jose Sharks have often done with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith?

Ryan Greene

No player featured more often with Bedard last season than Ryan Greene, although Andre Burakovsky was close behind. Greene got better as the year developed and clearly won over Bedard. It may be worth starting Greene on line one to see if he can pick up where he left off and potentially build on his solid rookie campaign. On the flip side, there is the case that Greene's game would make him an ideal middle-six player in a defensive role. If he is not producing, he is probably better off playing in a shutdown role lower in the lineup.

Nick Lardis

Nick Lardis got plenty of reps with Bedard towards the end of the season. He was not able to develop that same type of dynamic with Bedard as he was with Nazar and Oliver Moore. So, he might make more sense to play with those guys on the second or third line. The counter-argument is that the goal-scoring prowess in Lardis' arsenal is enticing. If he can unlock that finishing ability in this league, look out. That is a sniper that could be perfect to pair with Bedard down the line.

Oliver Moore

Moore has not played as much with Bedard compared to the rest of this list, besides Kantserov. The speed is what is intriguing here with Moore. The skill and talent are also there. He does need to work on slowing the game down occasionally; sometimes he is too fast for his own good. The question with Moore is what his offensive ceiling is. He may be a player more suited for a defensive middle-six role like Greene.

Tyler Bertuzzi

The players mentioned thus far have all been core Davidson draft picks. And there is a reason for that; there are not many viable veteran candidates who fit the bill here. Both Teuvo Teravainen and Ryan Donato have played with Bedard, but their roles have been reduced as the youth movement takes over. One vet who has not dropped in the lineup is Tyler Bertuzzi. He was this team's most consistent offensive producer last year, not named Bedard. The two's synergy has been most prevalent on the power play, where Bedard has been able to feed Bertuzzi often in the back-door slot.

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