"That's automatic, right?": Connor Bedard's coach Luke Richardson backs his Calder Trophy contention

Luke Richardson, Connor Bedard, and the Blackhawks coach reckon that Bedard automatically ticks all the boxes to be a strong contender for this year's Calder Trophy.

The NHL's Calder Trophy is an individual accolade given to the best rookie in the league, and Bedard has emerged as the top candidate to be honored with this year's award.

Richardson emphasizes that Connor Bedard's offensive production is impressive, but what truly sets him apart is his ability to take on more defensive responsibilities effectively.

This development showcases Bedard's maturity as a young player, demonstrating that he can excel not only in scoring but also in playing a well-rounded game. The Blackhawks coach sees this combination of offensive prowess and defensive growth as a sign of Bedard's potential to have a long and successful career.

Here's what Luke Richardson said about Connor Bedard's Calder Trophy contention:

"That’s automatic, right? You don't mean I think his production offensively is great. But like I said, I think you'll know that you're adding better and more conscious responsibility away from the puck."

"I think that shows a lot of maturity and a young player and when you have the point production still coming while you're doing that, that's like that's a sign of a real solid player that's gonna be here for a long time doing this," Richardson added.

Bedard leads all the rookies in scoring. The 18-year-old forward has racked up 59 points through 22 goals and 37 assists in 62 games for the Hawks. With five more games to go, Connor Bedard is projected for 64 points (24 goals and 40 assists).

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Connor Bedard held pointless in shutout loss to Minnesota Wild

On Sunday night, the Minnesota Wild shut out the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 at the United Center. Connor Bedard had only one shot attempted throughout the matchup.

Kirill Kaprizov garnered three points (two goals and an assist), while Frederick Gaudreau and Marco Rossi were the other scorers for the Wild on the night.

Jesper Wallstedt, who was playing his second career game, secured his first NHL win and made 24 saves.

Richardson reflected on the Hawks' 4-0 defeat to the Wild and said (via NHL.com):

"We just couldn't really muster too much together on offense, and then we couldn't kill anything defensively. So, just way too much time in the [defensive zone]. Their good players, when they had the puck, were really good."

The Blackhawks play their 78th game of the season against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.