Connor Bedard admits to cheating as he works to improve important aspect of his game

On Wednesday, following another tough loss for the Chicago Blackhawks, insider Mark Lazerus for the Athletic pointed out that, dating back to last season, superstar Connor Bedard has just two goals in his last 21 games. He made sure to add that the kid also has 49 individual scoring chances in those 21 games, 20 more than the nearest Blackhawk, Nick Foligno, and that at some point, pucks will start to go in and we will never look back at this stat.

And that’s true seeing that Bedard remains the main play driver for the Blackhawks. And he’s made tons of progress, especially in one area as the young star forward has been a plus player at 5-v-5 so far in 2024-25. When asked about what has changed, Bedard was honest with Lazerus:

“I was cheating maybe a little too much last year for offense. It’s just a balance. I always want to have the puck, I always want to be in the offensive zone, but half the game’s played in your own end. Just being responsible.”

As you may know (or not, no one is judging), being too quick to go on offense before your team actually has the puck would be ‘cheating’. Bedard is working on reading the play better and making sure he can be a two-way player… that still can score a lot of goals.

In seven games this season, Bedard has posted just one goal, though he’s assisted on six others.

And while his name does not always appear on the scoresheet, it is often clear that he is on his game and seeks to get better and better.