Chicago Blackhawks teammates let their feelings be heard on Luke Richardson's messy line combinations

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Joshua Deeds
November 12, 2024 (2:09 PM)

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We're now in the sophomore year of Connor Bedard in Chicago, and with owner Danny Wirtz at the helm. The Blackhawks have professed to be a changed organization in the Windy City.

However, the organization has found it difficult to get Connor Bedard the best linemates to optimize his growth.

Nick Foligno and Luke Richardson had been asked about the issue, giving their insight into the situation.

Richardson seems to value stability but is in the middle of experimenting with lines to see what works best.

''He has to find that consistency, no matter who he's playing with,'' Richardson said (via the Chicago Sun-Times). ''But we do have to look at the numbers and see who he's playing well with, just like everybody else, and maybe go back [to something that worked]. It's definitely in the bingo machine.''

Which, makes building chemistry difficult for the sophomore center, who is supposed to be a franchise player.

Undoubtedly he should easily reach 80-90 points this season, if he continues to produce at the clip he is.

But the line juggling makes it difficult for him to establish a game. Albeit, Richardson's criticism about consistency from Bedard is legitimate, Richardson is the person building the lineup every game.

It's his responsibility to give Bedard the best chance to produce nightly.

Bedard has had a mind-boggling amount of linemates this season, with Ryan Donato, Nick Foligno, and Lukas Reichel. With the constant changes, it doesn't allow him to build any chemistry.

Foligno shared his beliefs about the troubles the 1st line is going through:

''It's partly on the player and partly on the coaches to get you to find a rhythm..., ''Foligno said. ''As much as you want to see [Bedard] get with consistent [linemates], we've got to get on a roll as a team. Usually, that breeds more consistency and more chemistry with your linemates''

Bedar continues to hold himself to the same high standards we've seen before:

''Earlier in the year, I was making a lot of plays, [feeling] pretty dangerous out there...,'' Bedard said.

While line juggling is a fact of life in the NHL, it's another variable Bedard will have to contend with if he's the new #1 in Chicago.