It’s been another difficult campaign for the Chicago Blackhawks.
After finishing second-last in the NHL standings in 2023-24, the Hawks own a 16-31-5 record in 2024-25 and are on pace to miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.
Chicago hoped to take a step forward this season with a stronger veteran group around Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard. They added Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Alec Martinez, TJ Brodie, and others in the summer but the results haven’t been any better.
During the team’s most recent loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday, Hall of Famer Mark Messier ripped into Bedard for his poor defensive play. The 19-year-old sophomore allowed Sam Reinhart to get open in front of Chicago’s net and the Panthers capitalized. Bedard was on the ice shortly after for a power play opportunity and Messier noted that the young forward wasn’t earning his playing time.
“This is a choice and this is a consequence for a young player there,” Messier said during the game’s intermission show on ESPN. “He’s right on Sam Reinhart. This is a 50-50 battle. He’s soft on his stick, and — I’m sorry, the excuses for a young player are over now. He has to be better than that. Sure enough, they get a power play and who goes right onto the ice? Bedard.
There’s no quicker way to destroy the morale of the team than having players who don’t earn their ice-time. When the player makes a conscious choice to be soft on the puck in that situation right there, there has to be consequences. If there’s not, it will destroy the morale of the team.”
The Panthers wound up cruising to a 5-1 victory despite Chicago opening the scoring just seven seconds into the first period. The defending Stanley Cup Champions scored five unanswered goals and Bedard finished the game with a minus-one rating.
Though Bedard leads Chicago with 45 points through 52 games this season, the young forward’s defensive play has left a lot to be desired. The first-overall pick from the 2023 draft is allowing the fourth-most shots and high-danger chances against per 60 minutes at even strength on the Hawks this season and his minus-24 rating is the seventh-worst in the league.
Fans in Edmonton are certainly familiar with this sort of discussion. Earlier in their careers, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl could be among the league leaders in scoring and much of the focus would still be on how they played in their own zone.
Having won six Stanley Cups during his playing days, Messier knows it takes buy-in at both ends of the ice in order to be successful. McDavid and Draisaitl have both improved their defensive play immensely over the years and Bedard will have to do the same in order for the Hawks to become relevant again.

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