After weeks of dodging the question, Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard finally confirmed the news Saturday: His 2023-24 season isn’t quite done yet.
Bedard will play for Canada in the world championships next month in Czechia, joining Hawks teammates Seth Jones (U.S.), Alex Vlasic (U.S.), Petr Mrazek (Czechia) and Philipp Kurashev (Switzerland).
“Me and ‘Kurshy’ were talking, and our main goal is to score on Mrazek,” Bedard quipped.
He hadn’t 100% committed because he wanted to first assess how his body felt after the Hawks’ season ended. It turns out it held up very well this spring after he returned from a broken jaw. Even his jaw has felt fine for a long time now, despite the fact he wore the bubble helmet through the season finale Thursday.
After the worlds, he plans to return home to the Vancouver area for the majority of the offseason. Last summer wasn’t exactly relaxing for him — because of the hullabaloo surrounding the draft and his NHL arrival — so some long-awaited time outside the spotlight will be appreciated.
He expects to skate and train with his usual group of Vancouver-native hockey stars, including Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson, Islanders forward Mathew Barzal and Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
“Going into the summer, [it] is great to know what the league’s like, how you can succeed, and what more I can do to succeed,” Bedard said.
During his individual and off-ice training, he plans to focus on his skating speed. That’s one of his few skills that’s merely average rather than elite.
“I want to get faster in the gym, probably more explosive and a little stronger for puck battles and net-front [scrums] and stuff like that,” he said. “On the ice, the main thing is probably speed, but I’m going to work on just trying to create more offense.”
Vlasic looking long
Hawks defenseman Alex Vlasic, a restricted free agent this summer coming off his breakout season, made it pretty obvious he’ll enter negotiations hoping to secure a long-term contract rather than a bridge deal.
“It’s amazing being able to play for my hometown team, so I’m not really looking to go anywhere else,” Vlasic said. “I want to be here as long as possible, and [my agent] knows that.”
In that case, Vlasic’s contract could wind up looking similar to the one Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson signed last summer — seven years at $4.3 million per year — although his agent, Scott Bartlett, likely will push for a higher salary.
“We love Alex and love the path he’s on, so we’re working through that,” Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said.
Alex Vlasic said the Blackhawks' win in Toronto in October was a turning point for his career.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) April 20, 2024
"[That] was like, 'I'm here, and I'm pretty good.' I just remember leaving that game and I was like, 'Damn!'"
This and that
- Struggling goalie Arvid Soderblom has another year under contract, but Davidson suggested he won’t be handed the backup job again next season. Davidson said he will “take a deep look at” the goalie situation this summer.
- Forward prospect Ryan Greene has decided to return to Boston University next season for his junior year. Davidson said the Hawks “fully support” that.
- Hawks prospect development camp will be off-ice only again this July, continuing the new format established last year, Davidson said.
