Fans Share Same Opinion on Connor Bedard After Blackhawks Reveal New Captain

The Chicago Blackhawks have finally named a new captain. On Wednesday, the Blackhawks announced that veteran forward Nick Foligno is the 35th captain in franchise history.

Despite having played just one season so far with the Blackhawks, Foligno has earned the trust and respect of Chicago’s players and management that decided not to name a captain in the 2023-24 NHL campaign out of respect for Chicago legend Jonathan Toews.

While many are celebrating Foligno’s Chicago captaincy, others believe that it’s just a matter of time before such an honor is bestowed upon Connor Bedard.

“People saying it shoulda been Bedard lol,” said X (formerly Twitter) user @OneBad72 . “ Even if they gave Bedard the C, the leader of the room would STILL be Foligno 🤷‍♂️😂 This is a “reward” for how he’s mentored the young guys and what he will continue to do. Bedard gets the C after Foligno retires I’m sure”

“Great choice for bedard to gain leadership in a few years with less pressure. 3-5 years from now it'll be bedard next,” commented @Bunkone .

From @HockeyFreaky : “A great role model and leader for the Team. This allows Bedard more time to grow without the added pressure.”

“I guess he [Foligno] deserves it, but it should have waited another year and gone on Bedard,” shared @HrubyThruby .

“Let Bedard keep growing and he will be the captain in a couple years, no need to rush it,” opined @ElJefeGoldblum .

Bedard was already deemed the messiah of the Blackhawks franchise even before the team took him first overall at the 2023 NHL draft. In his rookie season, Bedard had 22 goals and 39 assists through 68 games, but the Blackhawks missed the boat to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth season in a row.

Related: WATCH: Rookie Phenom Connor Bedard Scores Ridiculous 'Michigan' Goal