Bedard has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in his past 17 games, and he's on a three-game, three-point run (one goal, two assists). Bedard is essentially doing things on his own in Chicago, and even more so now that they're dismantling the team for yet another high draft pick.

Bedard made some ill-advised passes Wednesday against the Oilers, and TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette called them out. There were grounds for that, but it's important to remember that Bedard is still only 19 — and his play is scrutinized more closely than arguably anyone else in the NHL.

Bedard notched a power-play assist, three shots on goal and four PIM in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers. Bedard helped out on a Ryan Donato tally in the third period. The 19-year-old Bedard continues to offer consistent offense with points in eight of his last 10 outings,

The Chicago Blackhawks, like the rest of their city’s sports franchises, aren’t giving local fans much to cheer about this year. The Blackhawks haven’t had a winning season since 2019-20 and they’re 16-31-6 before their matchup on Friday night against the Nashville Predators.