Bedard reaffirms love for Chicago: 'I want to be here for a long time'
Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard isn't interested in entertaining any speculation that he's unhappy in the Windy City.
"I'm a pretty mild-mannered guy, and if I look a little sad on the bench or something, maybe people can take it out of context," the forward said during his end-of-season availability Thursday. "I've said it so many times, I love being here and the city, the people. Even before I got drafted, I was embraced like one of their own."
He added, "Anything can get said. I don't really look at that, I don't really see a whole lot of that unless someone shows me. People that know me know that I love to be here and really trust the direction we're going."
The Blackhawks selected Bedard with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 campaign and is eligible to sign an extension July 1, but he said he hasn't thought about it much yet because his focus has been on the season.
"I've said it a hundred times, I love it here," he said. "I have a great relationship with Kyle (Davidson, Chicago's general manager) and everyone. I don't even know what to expect with that. ... I'm not too worried about any of that. I know that I want to be here for a long time."
Bedard added that he had "no real preference" when asked if he'd like to explore negotiations this summer or hold off for now.
The youngster's season had its fair share of frustrating moments - including a 12-game goalless drought - but he still finished with a team-leading 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) while appearing in all 82 outings.
It was another losing campaign for the Blackhawks on a whole, though. They finished the season in last place of the Central Division with a 25-46-11 record. However, they have plenty to look forward to after the emergence of future pieces such as Frank Nazar and Artyom Levshunov.
"If you get the first overall pick, you're probably not winning the Cup the next two years," Bedard said. "It's an understanding of where you're at. We're going out there to win every game, but at the end, we're in a process of growing and learning. And that’s an exciting time.
"When you lose, it makes winning a lot sweeter once you get there. So, we're excited for that."
Bedard feels as though he grew his all-around game in his sophomore campaign, but he's already honed in on the area he wants to improve the most this offseason: speed.
"I'm not gonna ever be (Nathan) MacKinnon or (Connor) McDavid or anything like that, but I think if I can just kind of gain another step, it puts guys on their heels a little more," he said. "With the way I think the game, that could be a huge plus for me."