Connor Bedard is establishing himself as one of the league’s best

Connor Bedard had one of the best stretches of his career last week, scoring in three of four games and finishing with three goals and six assists for nine points. Now with 25 total points on the season, second in the entire league, the 20-year-old forward has squashed any concern from hockey fans and pundits who thought his development had stalled after just two professional seasons.

As mentioned in this week’s edition of the Daily Faceoff NHL Power Rankings, perhaps criticizing a player with back-to-back 60-point campaigns before they turned 20 was wrong in hindsight. Now with Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks consistently improving and fighting for points each night, some are wondering if the 2023 No. 1 overall pick will finish the year among the league’s best.

On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton kick off the show with their “Man of the Week” segment, with Hutton giving the honors to the Blackhawk star.

Carter Hutton: Bedard is just on fire, is he finding his game or what? He’s shooting the puck like an absolute maniac. Right now, he’s got 19 shots in his last five games, and in his last two games, he’s recorded seven points.

What’s key to him is the way he’s settling in. His conditioning is so unbelievable, the way he competes every single time he’s on the ice. But I feel like, right now, he’s not working himself into trouble – what I mean by that is, at times, it’s about buying ice and having patience, and it feels like he’s settling in.

It’s been impressive to watch, and the Hawks are sitting third in the star-studded Central Division. I don’t think anyone predicted that at this point in time.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…