Chicago Blackhawks franchise cornerstone has significantly improved in an area of his game

Despite the 2024-25 season being one filled with disappointment for the Chicago Blackhawks, some good things have come from the group as the year has gone along. The team showed plenty of fight in Thursday night’s 7-5 loss on the road against the Golden Knights. They trailed 5-1 after the first period but found a way to cut the game to just a one-goal deficit in the third period before Vegas put the game away in the final few minutes.

Chicago has now dropped their last five contests and all four games coming out of the Four Nations break dating back to last weekend. With the March 7 trade deadline on the horizon, the team could look completely different in a week from now.

When the youth movement has gotten their opportunities with the big club this season, it has been worth watching. Frank Nazar has been on a tear over the past month and he even notched two assists in the high scoring loss on Thursday. Per usual, Connor Bedard is always must-watch TV when he is on the ice. Despite a second NHL season that hasn’t totally gone according to plan, the 19-year-old phenom has made major strides in a pivotal part of his game this year.

Connor Bedard has improved in the faceoff circle

Except for a rough month of November, Bedard has seen his numbers in the faceoff circle improve each month of this season. His 50% win rate in February is by far the best month he has had taking faceoffs in his NHL career, which is a massive victory.

Connor Bedard’s faceoff percentage broken down by month:

October: 31.2%
November: 25%
December: 35.5%
January: 37.7%
February: 50%

— Backyard Marty (@BackyardMarty) February 26, 2025

The big debate surrounding Bedard since he began his time in the NHL was in regards to his face-off struggles. If the former number one overall pick would not have figured it out in the dot, the thought of kicking him out of the wing was a realistic possibility.

The issue with moving Bedard to a winger spot would be the lack of space he would have in five-on-five play. The best part about him centering a line is that he can control the offensive and he has way more room to be creative with the puck on his stick. With Bedard appearing to have figured out his face-off struggles for the time being, this is a conversation that the Blackhawks front office can avoid for the foreseeable future.

The Chicago Blackhawks need to help Connor Bedard moving forward

With Bedard putting his game together more and more as his second season has progressed, the immediate scoring help next to him needs to be the top priority for Chicago this summer. General manager Kyle Davidson brought in plenty of veterans last summer in hopes that they would spark a change in the trajectory of the organization, but those plans have fallen flat.

This summer has a strong free agent class in store for the Blackhawks to attack, with another important top draft pick on the table as well. A few members of Chicago’s prospect pool like Oliver Moore could sign their entry-level contracts following their collegiate seasons, which would be extremely helpful for Bedard as well. While the future remains bright for the Blackhawks, keeping the present in mind is just as important to get the team out of the league’s basement next season.