A BUDDY BY HIS SIDE
RADDYSH BECOMES BEDARD’S LINEMATE, AT LEAST FOR A BIT — A MOVE THAT COULD BODE WELL FOR TWO FAST FRIENDS
MONTREAL — Analyzing the Blackhawks’ forward lines can be a fool’s errand, given how much lines can change in hockey in a matter of days. But when it comes to Connor Bedard’s line, the analysis is a little more worthwhile, considering how much it matters whom the No. 1 overall pick is playing with every day.
So, it’s worth noting that the Hawks moved Taylor Raddysh next to Bedard during practice Friday, slotting him into the first-line left-wing spot previously held by now-injured Taylor Hall. Raddysh, Bedard and Ryan Donato will at least start Saturday’s game against the Canadiens together. Coach Luke Richardson said he likes that all three are talented, eager shooters.
“[Bedard] can really shoot, but if [the Canadiens] overplay him on the shot, he can make plays, as we’ve seen,” Richardson added. “We have him surrounded well.”
Raddysh and Bedard gained a little experience playing together during a preseason game in Detroit two weeks ago, albeit without much success. However, off the ice, Raddysh is one of the teammates to whom Bedard has grown closest so far. They live in the same apartment building in downtown Chicago, along with Richardson, and Bedard briefly stayed with Raddysh this summer before moving himself in.
“He’s so mature,” Bedard said. “He’s just 25 years old, but how he carries himself, how he acts and how he has been with me [has been impressive].”
Raddysh brings a more physical element to the top line than Hall did. His net-front savvy and rebounding ability, combined with his above-average shot, helped him reach the 20-goal mark last year — something he’s hoping to repeat this season, even if the odds might not be in his favor.
“[I’ll] let [Bedard] shoot the puck, and when I get a chance, [I’ll] do the same thing,” Raddysh said. “[We can] feed off each other that way.
“He’s so smart. He can create some plays that you’ve just got to be ready for. [I need to] be ready to shoot at all moments or be ready to get him the puck at all moments. [I’ll] just read off the way he’s playing.”
Raddysh’s promotion means Andreas Athanasiou is bumped up to the second line next to Lukas Reichel and Tyler Johnson.
Reichel’s status as the Hawks’ other potential long-term cornerstone at forward, combined with the potential Bedard and Reichel showed during a brief pairing late in Wednesday night’s loss to the Bruins, has prompted some fans to clamor for Reichel to be promoted full-time into Hall’s vacated spot. That’s what happened with the top power-play unit — Reichel and Bedard are now together there, along with Donato, Corey Perry and Seth Jones.
However, the Hawks are committed to giving Reichel the necessary time to establish himself as an NHL-caliber center.
“We just think this is more balanced for us right now,” Richardson said.
Meanwhile, Hall, just two days after suffering an upper-body injury in Boston, surprised onlookers by hopping on the ice in practice Friday, skating and stick-handling on his own despite not participating in team drills. Richardson had labeled Hall “week-to-week” on Wednesday but revised that to “day-to-day” on Friday, noting that Hall told him he’s a “miracle fast healer.”
That’s welcome news for the Hawks — and another reminder of why analyzing lines can be so pointless: Things can change quickly and dramatically in this league.
In all likelihood, Bedard will take a shift here and there with every forward on the roster — and probably with a few not yet on the roster — between now and the season finale April 18 in Los Angeles. Sure, he’ll log far more minutes alongside upper-end players such as Hall, Raddysh, Donato and Reichel than alongside grinders such as Boris Katchouk, but even Katchouk-Bedard could easily be a combo at some point.
Frequent shuffling makes versatility a crucial skill for any forward. Fortunately for the Hawks, Bedard checks the versatility box as strongly as he checks the others.
“He’s already making adjustments on the fly,” Richardson said. “Sometimes it takes guys months, even years, to do that. That’s why he is at an elite level.”
CANADA TREASURING BEDARD
Although Bedard now plays for an American team and hails from Vancouver, on the other side of Canada, it’s clear that “Bedard fever” is running just as hot in Montreal and Toronto as it is in Chicago. The frenzy he created by leading Canada to a gold medal in last year’s world junior championships hasn’t fully subsided.
On Friday, he delighted a mob of Canadiens reporters by mentioning his family’s old Saturday tradition of watching “Hockey Night in Canada,” which this week features this Hawks-Canadiens matchup.
And on Thursday, at least one athletic apparel storefront on Rue Saint-Catherine — downtown Montreal’s busiest shopping street — had a Bedard jersey hanging next to that of Canadiens winger Cole Caufield.
Bedard continues to calmly handle the pressure and attention. It probably helps that his parents and sister have traveled to all three cities so far on the Hawks’ seasonopening five-game trip.
“I’m sure it’ll be awesome [to play at the Bell Centre],” he said Friday. “The rink is pretty electric, with pretty passionate fans. But we’re really excited to get to our home opener [in Chicago].”