Right now, the Chicago Blackhawks are in rough waters, sinking to the bottom of the Central Division with a brutal three-game losing streak. Recent heartbreak? A 4-3 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers on February 6 while the team had a lineup full of firepower. And, of course, when things go south, all eyes land on Connor Bedard. The 2023 number-one pick and the 2024 Rookie of the Year has been receiving criticism for not performing a miracle. At the second interval of the Oilers game, the analysts on the TNT side were not shy to express themselves. “I think his game has to evolve,” Anson Carter pointed out, while Paul Bissonnette added, “Sometimes I see him continue to try things that aren’t gonna work at the NHL level.”

But Connor? Unbothered. He stated, “I’m not watching broadcasts or anything. I’m playing hockey. Their job is to say what they see. I couldn’t really care less what people on the outside think of me.” Even after being called out for playing “pond hockey,” Bedard did not back down and said, “I’m not going to be butthurt if someone says I made a bad play. It’s their job.” And just like that, he silenced the critics and returned to his strength—hitting the ice. Now, an NHL insider is putting national broadcasters on blast for their ridiculous Connor Bedard criticism amid the backlash.

In a video shared by Blackhawks on CHSN, the host asked hockey insider Frank Seravalli for his take on the ongoing national frenzy surrounding Connor Bedard. And Seravalli? He was pretty blunt. “I think the biggest thing that strikes me is that it’s odd,” he said, noting that it looks like a bandwagon attack from the national media. He named some of them—Jeremy Roenick, Mark Messier, Paul Bissonnette, even Colby Armstrong in Canada—ganging up on a nineteen-year-old prodigy who never sought the “generational” title that was given to him.

Seravalli wasn’t buying the narrative that Bedard’s effort was lacking, especially when the infamous clip showed him circling motionless teammates. “I don’t see an issue in effort, compete,” he stated, making it clear that Bedard’s fire wasn’t the problem. Instead, he warned that Chicago’s real issue was finding proper support for their young star. After all, the Blackhawks have scored fewer goals than almost every other team this season—and their only lifeline? Seravalli thinks it Connor Bedard, who has scored 16 goals till now and currently leads his team on points.

He further emphasized the fact that limiting Bedard’s creativity would be disastrous for Chicago’s offense. “If you take that out of his game and the creativity, good luck to the rest of the team because it’s not there,” he remarked, perhaps with Bissonnette’s of Bedard’s play against the Oilers in mind. Bissonnette had taken issues with some of Bedard’s failed attempts at flair, which ultimately took the puck the other way.

And for those who are still confused as to why the criticism is amplified? Seravalli thinks hardly any other young talent has received so much flak: “I can’t remember Auston Matthews and his playoff failures, or any other player around the league that’s had the ‘generational’ title attached to him be as sharply criticized repeatedly as Connor Bedard.” Thankfully, for Bedard, Frank Seravalli is not the only one on his side!

Drama surrounding Connor Bedard

A few weeks ago, the Blackhawks took a tough 5-1 loss against the Florida Panthers, and despite Connor Bedard doing everything in his power to turn things around, his magic wasn’t enough to tip the scales. And oh boy, Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Messier did not hold back. He came in swinging, calling Bedard “soft on his stick” and saying, “I’m sorry, the excuses for a young player are over now. He has to be better than that.” Messier didn’t stop there—he went on about how handing ice time to players who haven’t ‘earned it’ can crush a team’s morale.

And in his mind, Bedard should have been given a dose of reality in that regard because he was lacking in the ‘grit’ department. ESPN broadcasted it and the hockey community most certainly took it in. But guess what? Bedard must have taken all that noise personally because when the Blackhawks faced the Nashville Predators, he got back at the critics in the best way possible by scoring a goal and assisting one. And the internet? Oh, they ate it up. As Just Another Year Chicago: Blackhawks mentioned, Connor effectively told the haters to “suck one” with that third goal of the game!

One of them directly mentioned Bissonnette himself and wrote, “@BizNasty2point0 is getting killed rn by making those comments about Bedard. Connor is on a heater rn.” So, what do you think? Is Connor Bedard proving the critics wrong in style? Let us know in the comments!