Connor Bedard has finally found his ideal linemates in Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi: What took so long?

BUFFALO, NY – One of the main reasons the Blackhawks acquired Nick Foligno from Boston two summers ago was because Connor Bedard wanted a gregarious and eager veteran he could lean on to pepper him with questions and help him navigating the meat grinder NHL schedule.

But this is demonstrably a one-way street.

“He obviously sees the game on a different level, right?” Foligno said. “So I like to ask him questions and just pick his brain.”

This is one of the reasons why Foligno was Bedard’s most successful linemate this season, at least in terms of expected goals (53.37 percent). He tries to understand what Bedard sees, what Bedard thinks. He’s trying to get himself to where Bedard wants him to be. And he’s trying to put Bedard in the best position to succeed.

It might seem strange for a 37-year-old veteran of nearly 1,200 NHL games to submit to a kid barely half his age, but Foligno is happy to check his ego at the door.

“If it’s for the good of the team, I don’t care how old you are, right?” Foligno said.

Playing with elite players is a skill in itself, no different than the ability to pick a corner, lift a stick, or hurl yourself in front of a strike throw. Some people can do it, others can’t. When it became clear that the Blackhawks were more dangerous with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on separate lines, forcing opponents to pick their poison defensively, Chicago coaches struggled for nearly a decade to find the right center for Kane. That’s because Kane saw the ice differently than almost any game he’s ever faced. Kane was a winger who commanded the puck like a center, so he needed a center who could not only keep up with him, but who was also willing to submit to him – Artem Anisimov and Dylan Strome come to mind.

Bedard is obviously a center, so he doesn’t have to fight for the puck. The puck is his. But it’s still difficult to find the right players who fit his shooting and playing style. And nearly a year and a half into Bedard’s NHL career, the Blackhawks may have finally found those players in Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi. Since this unit was finally put together last Saturday at the Blackhawks’ game in Calgary, it was expected to be first team from day one, but a poor preseason effort seemed to convince both Luke Richardson and Anders Sorensen that This case was the wrong solution for the next three months – it looked effective and dangerous. In their first three games together, they outscored the Flames, Wild and Sabers 4-3 and had an expected goals percentage of 55.73 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Even after a tumultuous night in Buffalo in which they combined for a goal from Bertuzzi but conceded two goals on the ice, the new top lineup appears to be the right solution for Bedard and the Blackhawks. Sorensen kept the trio together during Saturday’s practice, a luxury rarely afforded to Richardson, who routinely changed his lineup after losses (and sometimes wins).

“He’s a highly skilled player who wants the puck on his stick and we want to get it to him as often as possible,” Bertuzzi said. “It’s a bit of a learning curve, but I feel like we’re starting to figure it out a little bit. I don’t want the puck on my stick as much as he does, so I’ll just stay at the net and try to create space for him and Taylor will move. We showed that we can create a bit of offense with it.”

It really is that simple. Bedard brings the puck up the ice while Bertuzzi goes straight to the net – either in the bottom slot or, more likely, at the corner of the goal crease, where he hugs a post and looks for change. Hall, on the other hand, has the skating ability, the hockey sense and the hands to do pretty much anything Bedard asks of him.

Hall particularly likes the fact that Bedard is a right-handed hitter, a rarity in the Blackhawks’ lineup. It allows for more creative and aggressive passing in the offensive zone.

“It’s fun to play with someone who loves to play catch and loves to give and go,” Hall said. “He’s a guy I can pass on to and expect back, or vice versa, which is great.” And we know where Bert’s going to be – he’s going to be in the middle of the ice or near the post, and he is so good at it that it’s up to Connor and I to maintain possession and use our speed to win pucks back when we don’t have it. It’s working right now.”

It’s almost shocking how long it took the Blackhawks to settle on a top line that seemed so obvious. Both wingers had stints on Bedard’s line, just not together. In 153 minutes of five-on-five play together, Bedard and Hall have outscored their opponents 9-8. In 95 minutes together, Bedard and Bertuzzi played their opponents to a 7-7 draw. For comparison, along with his most frequent winger, Philipp Kurashev, Bedard and the Blackhawks lost 10-2.

But Bertuzzi’s early-season struggles seemed to scare Richardson away from that unit, and it took nearly half the season before they were able to properly perform together for the first time. Bertuzzi has always been a goalscorer – “For some reason I shoot at least 15 games every year,” he said with a shrug – but he’s gotten hotter lately, with two two-goal games nine days apart before the Christmas break and one wonderful quick performance in the slot against the Sabres. With 11 goals, he is suddenly tied with Ryan Donato for the team lead.

Bedard ➡️ Hall ➡️ Bertuzzi ➡️ 🚨 pic.twitter.com/JchzSRj4pd

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 28, 2024

Bertuzzi plays a similar offensive game to Foligno, so it’s no surprise that it worked.

“At some point the puck is going to end up with Connor (in the net), right?” Foligno said. “So it’s just a matter of being there and reaping the benefits of it. He’s offensively dynamic, allowing you to play in the fun zone. And (Bertuzzi) is pretty elitist about it.”

Hall had two assists in both the Calgary and Minnesota games and assisted on Bertuzzi’s goal in Buffalo. In the first two games in particular, Hall and Bedard circled menacingly around the offensive zone under sustained pressure while Bertuzzi staked out his usual spot down low.

And the way Hall sees it, they’re just getting started because they’re just figuring out how to understand each other.

“I’m still getting used to playing with Connor,” Hall said. “I had a few games with him last year, but then I had so much time off (due to season-ending knee surgery). And he has also changed as a player. He tried so many one-on-one things last year – I remember doing the same things (at his age). But then you learn to use your teammates and trust them. And I think since Anders has come into the game, you’ve seen Connor actually start to play better defensively and get into the 200-foot role. It won’t be perfect as a 19-year-old centerman, it’s one of the toughest jobs in the NHL. But it was fun to continue to get to know him and learn how he likes to play.”

Because there is still no book about Bedard, not because he is developing as a player, not because he has gone through so many linemates – a revolving door that could finally be put to rest.

“You can only have so many conversations,” Hall said. “You just have to play with them and learn their body language. It’s a fun process and we’re starting to get rolling here.”

(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)