Right now, Bedard is riding a 7-game point streak. The fact of the matter is that he does have one teammate that he’s been dynamite with lately and that’s Tyler Bertuzzi. Although he isn’t surrounded by a ton of young everyday NHL players yet, having a veteran like Bertuzzi isn’t the worst thing in the world.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — One of the primary reasons the Blackhawks acquired Nick Foligno from Boston two summers ago was so that Connor Bedard would have a gregarious and eager veteran to lean on, to pepper with questions, to help him navigate the meat grinder that is the NHL schedule.

The urgency to surround Bedard with a higher-caliber supporting cast stems from his importance to Chicago’s rebuild. The Blackhawks are last in the Central Division with a 12-24-2 record. For now, the spotlight remains on Chicago’s young phenom while the franchise looks destined to be making another top selection in the upcoming NHL draft.