Blackhawks' Connor Bedard adjusting to NHL defensemen with 'shorter plays'

SAN JOSE, Calif. — NHL defensemen are much better than junior-hockey defensemen. They will break up plays that often used to work for Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard, even though his ability to make those plays hasn’t declined at all.

That’s a big thing Hawks coach Luke Richardson has seen Bedard learn and adjust to during the season.

“Earlier in the year, he was trying to make big, lofty passes side to side when stopping in the [offensive] zone when he’s by himself,” Richardson said. “In this league, not a lot [is] going to come from it.

“He’s realizing that now. He’s trying to suck people to him, and that buys time for someone to get close to him. He’s making shorter plays or laying [the puck] in behind the other defensive players.”

Bedard said that at this point, he “can tell if something’s not going to work, and then you go to the safer option.”

Entering Saturday, he had opened up a 14-point lead in the rookie scoring race with 54 points in 56 games. Second-place Wild defenseman Brock Faber has 40 points in 71 games.

Faber appreciation

The Calder Trophy race isn’t entirely determined by scoring, though, and Wild fans often cite Faber’s defensive excellence when making a case for their own first-year standout. It’s a flawed stat, but Faber did enter Saturday with a plus-five rating compared to Bedard’s minus-39.

For the record, Bedard appreciates Faber’s game as much as anyone.

“I’ve only played [the Wild] once, but I noticed how much he means to that team,” Bedard said. “He’s so solid. He’s a great player, and it’s been a lot of fun to watch him.”

.Murphy missed

Veteran Hawks defenseman Connor Murphy missed his 28th consecutive game. He hasn’t played since Jan. 13 because of what Richardson has described as a “soft-tissue” injury in his “middle body.”

As of Monday, Murphy hadn’t even begun skating on his own, so it seems questionable or even doubtful that he could return this season.

His absence probably hasn’t been discussed as much as it should be. Rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski would almost certainly be faring better if paired with Murphy rather than Jaycob Megna.

“He eats 20 minutes a night, is hard defensively, has big hits . . . and has dropped the gloves a few times this year,” Seth Jones said. “He’s a big loss on the ice and off. He says stuff in the locker room that is important and is timed well for what we need.”