Connor Bedard Ripped By His Head Coach In Recent Press Conference

Luke Richardson did his usual media availability and was asked about Connor Bedard seeing more defensive situations as the year goes on. In his answer, Richardson took a shot at Bedard and essentially said he does not trust Bedard in those moments.

While no one has even mistaken Connor Bedard for a defensive genius the only way to take major strides in this area is to experience it in the game. It seems as though for now this will not be the case for Bedard.

With Luke Richardson's comments in recent weeks, it seems as though the Blackhawks are still solely focused on winning games this season. Is this the right approach to take with a team that is at the point the Blackhawks are?

Currently, the Blackhawks sit last in the Western Conference with just 9 total wins. They would have to essentially double the amount of points they have now just to get into a Wild Card spot.

With this in mind maybe letting young players experience key moments should be more of an emphasis. If Connor Bedard is going to be the generational talent everyone hopes he will need to learn how to play at least average defensive hockey.

The Blackhawks' treatment of Bedard in this area is doing no good to this cause. The Blackhawks will need to hand the keys over to young players like Bedard, Lukas Reichel, Kevin Korchinski, and Alex Vlasic sooner rather than later.