Reports Suggest Connor Bedard To Be Named Blackhawks Captain

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James Connelly
August 28, 2023 (11:34 PM)

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The Chicago Blackhawks are a team in the middle of their rebuild and their centerpiece player may earn the captaincy.

Bedard As The Next Captain?

A recent post by the NHL Network has gotten everybody talking.

Connor Bedard as their captain without playing a game for them would certainly be a decision but it would certainly speed up the inevitable. Players of Bedard's caliber often become captains before their 21st birthday.

The Case For Bedard

So far, there have been only two captains named as teenagers, Connor McDavid and Vinny Lecavalier. On top of this, Sidney Crosby, Gabriel Landeskog, and Jonathan Toews were all captains at 20.

Each of these players is an icon for their respective franchises and we can expect Bedard to become a Blackhawks icon himself. The Blackhawks would show the ultimate commitment to Bedard if he is named the youngest captain in NHL history.

The Case Against Bedard

First off, naming a player a captain before they even play a game for your franchise is normally reserved for well-established NHLers like John Tavares. These players tend to be big-time free agency signings and already have captain experience with other NHL teams.

On top of this, the Blackhawks have an all-star in Seth Jones who certainly could be their captain himself. It would likely be a slap in the face to Jones to name a teenager who has not even stepped foot onto NHL ice the captain before him.

It feels as if Bedard will eventually become the Blackhawks captain but naming him the captain so soon would certainly be divisive amongst the team and the media.

As seen on Hockey Feed - Reports that Bedard could be named Blackhawks' new captain