Bobby Hull has long since been the Blackhawks greatest scorer, notching 604 career goals with the Hawks. Yeah, that’s going to be a tough one for Connor Bedard to break, especially since he hasn’t looked like the next Bobby Hull or even the next Patrick Kane.
Still, there’s hope Bedard will change the narrative, and if he played on a better hockey team, chances are, he’d have more than just 42 career goals. But Bedard has a lot of hockey left in him, and as long as he’s in a Blackhawks uniform, Chicago is where he’ll reach his career milestones despite the numerous setbacks.
So, what gives Bedard a chance at this? For one, his age. Bedard’s in his age-19 season, and although things haven’t gone as planned so far, he’s still better than most would ever fare at the NHL level. Put a bad team around him, and you’re going to get, at best, stagnating results early on.
Yes, Connor Bedard has a legitimate chance to surpass Bobby Hull
Now, this will take a while, and it would require Bedard to tough it out with the Blackhawks. About 15 years from today, Bedard should look back on and laugh at his first two seasons, seasons in which he’s learned more than a few lessons about the NHL’s harsh realities.
Yeah, they were coming, and the learning curve was just a little longer than we expected. Or a lot longer. But with the young crop of players growing together, it’s not like this team’s destined for perennial doldrums that teams like the Buffalo Sabres can’t break out of. So, you can chalk up a win there for Bedard.
He’ll also need to break out, but heading into his age-20 season, a breakout season from Bedard wouldn’t need to come fast. If it doesn’t happen in 2025-26 or even 2026-27, we need to remember that Bedard would be entering his age-22 campaign in 2027-28. And if he averaged 22 goals a season from now until then, he’s already at 88 when he enters his age-23 season in 2028-29.
Right now, every goal Connor Bedard scores is a bonus
Yep, consider them bonuses, and if he heads into his age-23 season with 100 goals, he’s already 504 away from passing Hull. It seems like a lot on the surface, but when you break it down, he could score at a rate of 30 goals a season for 17 years, and pass Hull, something that will ultimately become more than manageable for a talent like Bedard.
So, I wouldn’t be one to resign myself and say that Bedard’s a lost cause so early in his career, especially when he’s one of just two Blackhawks players to score at least 20 goals in multiple teenage seasons. He hasn’t been impressive by any stretch, but considering the circumstances in Chicago, that’s expected.
Simply surviving these first two years, however, is an accomplishment, and Bedard’s at least done that. He’s learned, he’s grown, and once this team decides to grow up, I’d be leery about the Blackhawks. Throw in an inevitable jump in production from Bedard, and it’ll be showtime in Chicago before you all know it.
