While the road ahead might not be the brightest for Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks, recent comments from a talented player projected to be the first overall selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft might spark a wave of confidence in the Windy City. However, the young star’s admiration for Patrick Kane could also be seen with hopeful eyes in Detroit.
The Blackhawks are officially under the guidance of Jeff Blashill going into the 2025-26 NHL season. While the hope in Chicago remains to become a serious contender, it’s not too realistic to expect immediate results—and ending up with a high lottery draft position might not be the worst scenario, especially considering who’s projected to go first overall.
Of course, it would take some insane luck for Chicago to win the sweepstakes for Connor Bedard and Gavin McKenna with just two years of difference. Still, the 17-year-old’s latest statement has done more than enough for fans to be excited about a possible dream-duo in Chicago.
Though born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, McKenna revealed his childhood club during a recent interview with TSN, once again making his admiration for Kane clear. (McKenna’s comment on Chicago begin at 1:19 minutes)
“I was a huge [Blackhawks] fan growing up,” McKenna said in dialogue with Frankie Corrado during the latest episode of TSN’s Players Only Meeting series. “Obviously, they had their dynasty when it was around my time coming up, and obviously on YouTube I’d watch [Patrick Kane] every single day, and I’d see all the highlights he had. It was pretty fun to watch.”
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Meeting his hero
After McKenna’s comment, fans in Detroit can’t help but wonder what a line combining the current Medicine Hat Tigers star in the WHL and Kane could look like. However, Kane has yet to sign a new contract with the Red Wings, and although all signs indicate it’s in the works, the Blackhawks might want to bring ‘Showtime’ back to Chicago and combine the best of both worlds for McKenna—putting him alongside his idol while wearing his childhood team’s jersey.
Out-of-this-world numbers
The 2025 NHL entry Draft hasn’t even been held, and fans are already looking ahead to the 2026 edition: that should tell you how highly everybody in the league thinks of McKenna, and for great reason.
Connor Bedard #98 of the Chicago Blackhawks makes his way to the locker room after warmups before the game against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on December 14, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.
McKenna just finished the WHL regular season with 129 points in 56 games, tallying 41 goals and 88 assists. His sensational campaign included a 54-game point streak, and 51 multi-point outings.
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Although, the 17-year-old failed to meet expectations during the U-20 World Juniors with Canada, his skillset is one being closely followed by every NHL team who acknowledge they could find a franchise savior in McKenna.
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Of course, there’s an impossible-to-miss elephant in the room for both the Hawks and Red Wings: in order to select McKenna in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, they’d need to put up horrible performances throughout the upcoming season and finish near the bottom of the standings. It’s fair to assume not many fans in either Chi-town or Motor City are looking forward to another losing and disheartening season.
