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The “generational talent” label has become a bit of a misnomer thanks to how frequently it’s used to describe the talents of highly-touted athletes who are decidedly members of the same generation. With that said, Connor Bedard nonetheless earned it before being selected by the Blackhawks with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft—and he wasted no time showing why that was the case in the preseason at the expense of the Red Wings.
For the uninitiated, Bedard is an 18-year-old hailing from British Columbia who spent the past few years amassing an insane amount of hype with the Regina Pats of the WHL in addition to a Canada junior national team that won gold at the WJC thanks in no small part to his contributions.
Last year, there were plenty of NHL teams engaged in a race to the bottom of the standings while hoping they’d get Bedard as a consolation prize in the wake of an abysmal season, and when everything was said and done, the Blackhawks earned the right to add him to their roster.
That acquisition helped Chicago experience a massive boost in season ticket sales and caused more than a few people to float a conspiracy theory concerning the “real” reason Bedard ended up on an Original Six team in a massive media market, and while we’re still in the preseason, it sure looks like Bedard is going to live up to the expectation surrounding him.
On Sunday, the Blackhawks faced off against the Red Wings in an exhibition tilt in Detroit. During the game, we were treated to a sequence where Bedard managed to outfox veteran defender Jeff Petry before absolutely undressing Simon Edvinsson with a filthy deke to get a very juicy shot on goal.
While he failed to put the puck in the net to really cap off the play with a bang, Bedard once again showed why he’s poised to make life an absolute nightmare for the players tasked with shutting him down.
This is going to be fun.