The Chicago Blackhawks issue a significant statement on Connor Bedard and it changes things
Photo credit: Canadian Press
The Chicago Blackhawks have shaken up the status quo again with the addition of assistant coach Michael Peca, as Kyle Davidson looks to improve the forwards' two-way play on the ice.
Michael Peca is a former two-time Selke Trophy winner in the NHL, and paired with Anders Sorensen, could lead the team out of the rebuild for good.
But one area on the ice needs to be improved: the backcheck. Blashill intends to improve the team's +/- statistic, along with the goals-against total in 2025-2026.
The goals against statistic and plus/minus stat tell the whole story of how the Blackhawks' backcheck needs to improve significantly. That is where Peca comes into play for the team, and Connor Bedard's an example where Peca will have to focus his energy.
The 19-year-old may have finished the season with 67 points, but had a -36 with 90 giveaways in 82 games. The Blackhawks and Bedard had issues getting into the opposition's offensive zone, as they started a lot of their own shifts in their defensive zone.
According to NHL Edge, he started 40.8% of his shifts in the defensive zone and 41.3% in the offensive zone.
This would lead to a lot of turnovers, penalty kills, and more defensive hockey than the team had anticipated on playing.
Frank Nazar would, unfortunately, replicate the issues Bedard had:
Frank Nazar finished minus-11 and had 57 giveaways in 53 games. He started 43.1.% of his shifts in the defensive end.
Compared to Stanley Cup-winning forward Aleksandr Barkov, who is also a Selke Trophy winner, he started 48.1% of shifts in the offensive zone, which led to fewer defensive struggles and penalties.
If the Blackhawks are to improve their 1C and 2C's play, Michael Peca will have to reframe how the team plays the game of hockey. That involves being responsible on the ice.
«The details have to be ironclad firstThere are all these little details in the game-finishing every check, stick details when you're forechecking-that need to be [done] all the time, by every player, in every situation,» he told Ben Pope at the Chicago Sun-Times.
Blashill and Peca have, of course, stressed the responsibility of playing the game the right way and accountability as a means of improving the Blackhawks' play on the ice nightly.
For Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard, that means they'll have to adjust their playstyles in order to maintain puck possession and figure out how to start off a shift to their advantage.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 15 | 250 ANSWERS The Chicago Blackhawks issue a significant statement on Connor Bedard and it changes things Do you think assistant coach Michael Peca of the Chicago Blackhawks will improve the play of center Connor Bedard and center Frank Nazar? | ||
| Yes | 193 | 77.2 % |
| No | 57 | 22.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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