Connor Bedard weighs in on Blackhawks veterans' role to help him settle in

Connor Bedard is happy that the Chicago Blackhawks have added multiple NHL veterans to their roster.

The Blackhawks drafted Bedard first overall to kick off their rebuild. Bedard has been talked about as the best prospect since Connor McDavid, and someone who can change an entire franchise around.

To help ease Bedard into the NHL, Chicago went out and got Corey Perry, Taylor Hall, and Nick Foligno, among others. All three have over 10 years in the NHL, and Bedard told the "32 Thoughts" podcast that it has been helpful for him:

"I've been lucky to be able to talk to those guys. Hall sent me a text, Perry and Nick Foligno's been unreal for me, one of the best people I've ever met.

"They've been great. Perry's been there this past weekend when I was in Chicago and Nick, I was able to meet his family, have some dinner. I'm really lucky. These people are unreal and so welcoming of myself and I felt really comfortable going to the room."

Having that veteran leadership around Connor Bedard will be a good thing for his development.

However, the Chicago Blackhawks are still not expected to make the playoffs. Chicago is +800 to make the playoffs, which implies an 11.1% chance of making the postseason.

Connor Bedard enters his rookie NHL season with a ton of hype

Connor Bedard is currently the favorite to win the NHL's Rookie of the Year for the 2023-24 NHL season. Bedard has already wowed several NHL players during off-season camps, as many have spoken highly about him.

In the WHL with the Regina Pats, Bedard played 134 games, recording 134 goals and 137 assists for 271 points. He also was a big reason why Team Canada won the World Juniors this past year.

In his rookie season, Connor Bedard is projected to play on a line with Taylor Hall and Lukas Reichel. Whether or not that will stick remains to be seen, but Bedard will at least get to play with Hall, a former MVP, which will likely help him in his rookie season.

However, expectations should be lowered for Bedard's rookie season, as first-year players generally struggle to transition into the NHL.