‘True center’: As practices resume, Connor Bedard returns to the faceoff dot

Connor Bedard wasn’t planning on being sidelined for the Winter Olympic break.

But the expectation of making Canada’s Olympic roster went out the door when he injured his right shoulder in the final seconds of a loss against the St. Louis Blues on December 12. He missed 13 games due to the injury, and when he returned to the lineup, didn’t take faceoffs

Instead, as Team Canada zeroes in on medal contention, Bedard is rested and ready to take faceoffs again for the Blackhawks.

On Tuesday, at the team’s first optional practice before resuming full practices during the Olympic break later in the week, Blashill confirmed that Bedard’s next step in his return to full strength.

“The plan always was, in his mind, to start taking faceoffs out of this break,” Blashill told reporters Tuesday. “We expect to see him playing a true center role where he is taking faceoffs.”

Before the injury, Bedard had 44 points in 31 games and had taken the second-most faceoffs on the team (315) behind only Frank Nazar (385). Yet Bedard was just fourth-best in faceoff percentage on the team, minimum 150 faceoffs (47.0 percent). That number was still nearly 10 percentage points better than his previous two seasons in the NHL, where he posted 38.9 percent as a rookie and 38.3 percent last season.

“We had to switch it around a little bit,” Bedard said. “I felt a little bad for guys, I think I had [Andre Burakovsky] take a couple draws, and he won one, which was good, but it’s nice to play your full position again.”

Bedard hasn’t taken a faceoff since the injury but has still played the center position on the ice on the top line for Chicago in his 13 games back.

With nine points since his return on January 9, he’s endured a slower production pace over the last 13 games than his 1.41 point-per-game pace prior to the injury. Still, Bedard is on track to have his best season and is on a current pace for 83 points in 69 games.

The Olympic break couldn’t have come at a better time.

Getting back to full health, or as close to it as possible, is welcomed for the 20-year-old to get back to the form that had him at the top of the league in scoring and had the Blackhawks within striking distance of a Wild Card spot back in December.

“I’m looking forward to coming back and playing my game,” Bedard said. “When I’m doing the little things well, the other stuff comes along. Our team is trying to find our game right now and it’s nice we get the next week to figure that out.”

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