Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill has voiced his surprise and disagreement with Team Canada's decision to leave Connor Bedard off their roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan. The announcement, made Wednesday, has sparked considerable debate, with Blashill adding his perspective on Thursday.
Blashill acknowledged the difficulty in making final roster decisions, especially for hockey powerhouses like Canada, the United States, and Sweden, all of whom face the challenge of cutting talented players. However, he believes that the broader hockey community may be underestimating Bedard's development into a complete, two-way player. "I don't think the rest of the League knows how good of a two-way winning hockey player Connor has become," Blashill stated. He questioned why this perception might exist, suggesting it could be based on previous years rather than Bedard's current form.
To illustrate his point, Blashill highlighted the Blackhawks' performance with and without Bedard in the lineup. Before Bedard sustained an upper-body injury on December 12, the team was within one point of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. Since his absence, the Blackhawks have struggled, winning only one of eight games. Blashill attributes this impact to Bedard's evolution beyond a pure point-scorer. "You don't have that impact if you're just a point-getter; you only have that impact if you're a true two-way kind of winning player, and that's what he's become".
Despite being sidelined with a shoulder injury, the 20-year-old Bedard continues to lead the Blackhawks in scoring with 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 31 games. Before his injury, he ranked fourth in NHL scoring, trailing only Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, and Macklin Celebrini – all of whom will be representing Canada at the Olympics.
Team Canada's general manager, Doug Armstrong, said that Bedard's injury was not a significant factor in the decision-making process and that he was considered "right there to the last second". Armstrong emphasized the difficulty of the selection process, given the abundance of talented players available for selection.
Bedard's absence from the lineup began on December 12 after an awkward collision with Brayden Schenn of the St. Louis Blues. He has recently resumed skating but has not yet taken any shots on goal. A re-evaluation is scheduled this month to determine a timeline for his return.
The Blackhawks' coach also pointed to Bedard's improved statistics as evidence of his growth as a player. This season, he has a plus-eight rating, a significant improvement from his minus-80 rating over the previous two seasons. His faceoff win percentage has also increased from 38.3% to 47%. Blashill suggested that traditional defensive metrics might not fully capture Bedard's contributions on the ice.
