With Chicago's preseason games starting Wednesday, bubble players appear likely to get long looks from coach Luke Richardson.

After a chaotic rookie NHL season, Connor Bedard said he's feeling "a lot" more relaxing going into training camp in Year 2 with the Blackhawks.

Connor Bedard is much more at ease at Chicago Blackhawks training camp this time, coming off an offseason of calm he didn’t get last year when he was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. “I didn’t do an interview for a couple of months,

With that free time and much more, Bedard went to work. After his first NHL season, his biggest focus was adding speed this offseason while he was back home in Vancouver. He sought to simulate NHL play as much and increase his skating within it. It’s early, but Bedard does look faster than he did a season ago. He feels it, too.