Connor Bedard on the Canucks? Imaging league where Vancouver native lined up with Quinn Hughes and co.

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Dec 22, 2023 18:48 GMT

On Dec. 17, 2023, the Chicago Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks met for the first time in Connor Bedard's career. Although this contest didn't mean much over an 82-game season, it marked a special time for Bedard as the North Vancouver, B.C., native skated against the team he cheered for as a kid.

Thus far, the Canucks are one of the early surprises of the 2023-24 season. They began last season as one of the worst teams and only turned things around after a coaching change in January.

Even though they finished with the 22nd-best record, many amongst the fanbase wondered if the poor start was the franchise's attempt to land Bedard at the draft. Instead, the Canucks had the 11th-overall pick and drafted Tom Willander from Sweden.

Considering how successful Vancouver has been out of the gate this year, with three players in the top ten in NHL scoring, can anyone imagine how better the team would be if Connor Bedard were skating in blue and white instead of red and black?

Slotting Connor Bedard's statistics into the 2023-24 Canucks lineup

After 31 games on the 31st-ranked team in the NHL, Bedard has 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points with a minus-13 rating. Furthermore, he's got 100 shots with ten penalty minutes while averaging 19:35 of ice time a night.

Unsurprisingly, he's the leader in almost every team category, and no teammate is close to catching him down the stretch. Right now, Bedard is the only forward who skates over 19 minutes a night.

Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks

However, with a minus-13 rating, he's the fourth worst on the team behind Lukas Reichel (minus-19), Tyler Johnson (minus-14), and Connor Murphy (minus-14). Meanwhile, the Canucks currently do not have a single skater with a negative plus/minus rating, with two sitting even.

Realistically, there's no telling how different the statistics would be if Connor Bedard were skating alongside Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander or pairing up with Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller on the power play. But, based on his current statistics, he'd rank fourth in goals, fifth in assists, and sixth in points.

Ultimately, the only category that Bedard would lead the Canucks in would be shots. Still, unlike Chicago, he'd have some competition for the top spot with six skaters already over 69 shots. Only two Blackhawks players (besides Bedard) have more than 60 shots.

Connor Bedard would change the dynamics of the Canucks lineup today and for the future

After the 2023-24 season, Vancouver must prioritize signing Pettersson, who tallied a career-high 102 points last year, to a lengthy extension so he can remain one of the core members chasing the franchise's first Stanley Cup title.

Even though the Canucks have stars with Boeser and Hughes, adding a former-first overall pick like Bedard would be a huge selling point for the team, who could convince Pettersson to stay and attract other high-profile free agents to come to end a 53-year championship drought.

Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Historically, Vancouver has never had a top selection in the NHL draft, coming close on four occasions with the second overall pick. So, not only would Bedard help the club succeed on the ice right now, but he would be a pillar to build the future around as one of the faces of the league.

Unfortunately, not every kid grows up to play for their favorite NHL team. But sometimes it happens, like John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, fate led Bedard to an Original Six franchise that just ended a magical 15-year run with three Stanley Cup titles with another former first-overall pick, Patrick Kane.

Whether or not Connor Bedard ever comes home to play for the Canucks remains to be seen. However, it will be fun to talk about every time he steps onto the ice at Rogers Arena, with the first time occurring on Jan. 22, 2024.