Naming Foligno Blackhawks Captain paves way for Connor Bedard

The Chicago Blackhawks made a wise decision when they named Nick Foligno the 35th captain in franchise history. He follows the footsteps of Jonathan Toews who was one of the greatest captains in NHL history.

Foligno has been with the Blackhawks for just over a season and he’s already made an impact that is beyond the ice. His ability to lead is as good as anyone in the league. Foligno has already been the captain in the NHL before and now he’s set up to be even better than before.

The other good news that comes from this is the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks aren’t putting the “C” on Connor Bedard’s sweater too soon. He isn’t going to go from being the youngest player in the NHL for a season to a captain overnight. Sometimes, that kind of pressure isn’t good for young players.

Bedard can continue to worry about scoring goals and making plays while learning how to dominate the pro game using these skills. Not having the burden of being the captain of an Original Six team will help him focus on what’s important for the time being.

Is Connor Bedard a captain in the making for the Blackhawks?

By the time Foligno is done with his job in Chicago, Bedard will be able to take the reigns by then. A lot of the time, you see the best players in the league become captains of their team. Leadership responsibilities are placed on top players because of their ability to lead the way in terms of hockey and Bedard is one of those guys.

Of all the active players in the NHL right now, there aren’t many players for him to learn how to be a captain from than Foligno. With other good leaders on the team like Taylor Hall, Seth Jones, Jason Dickinson, and Connor Murphy, Bedard is in a great spot when it comes to learning that part of the game.

Due to all of this seasoning that he’s going to get, he will be a completely different person when he finally takes over as captain. He will also likely be considered amongst the greats in the league by then as well. Leading this team will be so natural for him.

Bedard seems like the natural selection to be the next captain of this team once Foligno’s time has come to a close. By then who knows where the Hawks could be in the state of the rebuild. Good times are ahead for Chicago with Nick Foligno as captain and Bedard waiting in the wings.

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