Connor Bedard Is Fully Reignited Following His Early-Season Slump

Despite losing to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, there is one positive to take away from the game. Connor Bedard was simply sensational for Chicago. He is fully reignited following his early season slump.

After a red-hot start, Bedard slowed down dramatically. He went 12 games without a goal and had a handful of assists during that stretch. There were a few games in there where he looked like he had no control over anything.

Things like that happen to teenagers no matter how great they are. After the way he played against Columbus, it is fair to say he’s back to his old ways of being a productive young star.

Bedard scored a power-play goal minutes into the game to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. The lead didn’t last but he did also collect another assist on the power play later in the game. Now that he has the man advantage going well again, it’s time to start dominating at five on five too.

There was one backcheck that Bedard made in the first period that was stunning. He ended up blocking a shot that would have been a sure Columbus goal.

His commitment to defending well is starting to improve. That was his 17th blocked shot on the season and he is 10 shy of his mark (27) from his entire rookie year.

There were even a few plays he made where he didn’t score, but you know he would have broken the Internet had the puck gone in.

Bedard is not afraid to imitate Connor McDavid and dance through the legs of defenders to give himself a chance to score. This confidence level wasn’t in Bedard’s game a few weeks ago.

After the game, Alex Vlasic had some nice things to say about Bedard in the locker room. He touched on his game and how it's been improving over the last couple of outings:

Vlasic acknowledged the need for Bedard to skate well and move his feet in order to be successful. Over the last handful of games, the skating has been as good as ever and the points have followed.

Luke Richardson also spoke about Bedard after the game. He likes what he's seeing from him offensively but he acknowledges the defensive side of things. He had to be happy with Bedard's effort in all three zones against Columbus.

Richardson sounded hesitant when going to fully compliment Bedard. There is still something that the head coach is seeing on the defensive side of things that he doesn't love.

With that said, Bedard wasn't the number-one pick and wasn't labeled a generational prospect because of his defensive mind. It is because of his ability to create and score. We saw that ability and some good defensive plays in this win over the Jackets.

If the Blackhawks are going to have any success against the Maple Leafs, they must get something from Bedard. Whether it is blocking shots, controlling the puck so the Leafs can't have it, and scoring/creating goals, he must make an impact as he has recently.

There is no reason to worry about Bedard's game anymore. He is back to being one of the three best teenage players this league has seen in the salary cap era. He will be considered one of the best in the NHL very shortly.

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