In the Blackhawks’ training-camp scrimmage Monday, Connor Bedard received the puck exiting the defensive zone, dished off to Taylor Hall for the offensive-zone entry, crashed the net and tapped in a pinpoint return pass.
Hall and Bedard’s red team won the scrimmage, 3-2, with Bedard scoring a second goal a few minutes later. He was surely happy with the result.
In the Hawks’ scrimmage Tuesday, Bedard again had the puck just inside his defensive zone when he noticed Hall streaking behind the defense. He lofted a perfectly placed backhand pass across both blue lines to hit Hall in stride, and Hall made a nice move on the breakaway.
But goalie Arvid Soderblom made an even better save — one of several top-grade stops — and the white team ended up winning, 6-3. Bedard was unhappy.
“Connor was extremely upset he lost today — which I love, honestly,” Nick Foligno said later. “You’re already seeing the competitive nature of some guys.”
Luke Richardson and the rest of the Hawks’ staff certainly won’t be upset. The chemistry they’ve seen Bedard and Hall form during their first few days of camp together — after Hall missed the first couple for precautionary reasons — has matched, if not exceeded, their expectations.
It turns out putting the 2023 No. 1 overall pick and the 2010 No. 1 overall pick on a line together — alongside 2014 No. 56 overall pick Ryan Donato, who seems to suit them well — is not only a neat storyline but also clicks naturally on the ice.
“They probably see the game the same way,” Richardson said. “[Taylor] thinking on the same level is going to be huge for Connor to have a guy to rely on. [They can] talk about how he got to that point in the NHL...and became the MVP at one point. It’s going to be great to have him around. Sometimes [Connor will] be with him and sometimes he may not, but he’ll always have him to rely on.”
Donato mentioned that Bedard’s shot is so impressive that when he instead makes a brilliant pass, the Hawks players receiving the passes have often been caught off-guard. That will partially be alleviated via adjustments over time, and partially be resolved only once the Hawks have a deeper roster post-rebuild.
That doesn’t seem to apply to Hall, though. He and Bedard appear to be on the same wavelength already.
Off faceoff plays and on the power play, their opposite handedness creates plentiful one-timer possibilities. And on the rush, their awareness and puck control makes them equally dangerous, as they demonstrated Monday.
“If I can get it to him on the sides or [along] the wall with that much speed, it’s going to be hard for the ‘D’-man,” Bedard said. “[That’ll] make them really focus on him and I can try to get lost.”
Helping Hall is the fact he has ample previous experience in these types of situations. With the Devils in 2017-18, for example, he racked up 93 points and won the Hart Trophy while playing alongside then-rookie center and No. 1 pick Nico Hischier, who tallied 52 points himself. Preseason betting lines projected that Devils team to finish with 75.5 points; they instead finished with 97 and made the playoffs.
The striking similarities have Hall wondering if this Hawks team might follow a similar trajectory. But even if they don’t, he’s pretty certain at least his new rookie linemate will enjoy a very successful season.
“He sees the ice really well,” Hall said. “He makes little plays that keep plays alive. He skates really well. He’s kind of the whole package.
“If he can round his game at center into a guy that’s dependable defensively and then obviously adds what he adds offensively, he’s going to be one of the best players in the league.”