Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson voiced a very powerful message during his NHL mid-season press conference, sending a stern reminder to the locker room, including star Connor Bedard.

The Chicago Blackhawks were the third team involved in Friday's blockbuster Mikko Rantanen trade. They got decent value in exchange for Taylor Hall, but might have impacted Connor Bedard's development in the process.

Hall was acquired from the Bruins, along with current captain Nick Foligno, on June 26, 2023, to help Bedard, then an 18-year-old rookie, transition to the NHL from the Western Hockey League. Hall had four points (two goals, two assists) in 10 games before having season-ending ACL surgery on his right knee in November 2023.

The Athletic's Scott Wheeler and Flo Hockey's Chris Peters debate Corey Pronman on his recent under-23 player ranking.

Bertuzzi leads the Blackhawks in goals through 47 games with 17 and has 27 points. While he's effective scoring at 5-on-5 with nine goals playing the way he does, his net front presence on the power play has allowed him to get eight goals with the man advantage this season too.

However, Chicago is still not playing well. And these losses are hard for star forward Connor Bedard to take. Bedard scored his 12th goal of the season on Monday night against the Calgary Flames. By then, though, Chicago had no recourse for a comeback.

Young phenom Connor Bedard expressed his surprise and disappointment upon hearing the news that veteran Taylor Hall had been traded from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Bedard has two goals and two assists over his last five outings. The 19-year-old center is up to 13 goals, 29 helpers, 113 shots on net and a minus-20 rating over 48 appearances. He's been consistent lately, which certainly helps fantasy managers who stuck it out through a choppier first two months of the campaign for the second-year standout.

The Chicago Blackhawks may have had Mikko Rantanen in their grasp for a few minutes before moving him onto the Carolina Hurricanes, but they could shoot for a longer stay this summer.

BOTTOM LINE: Central Division foes meet when the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Minnesota Wild. Chicago is 4-9-2 against the Central Division and 15-28-5 overall. The Blackhawks are 3-7-4 in one-goal games.

Warning: What you are about to read has no factual basis and is not rooted in journalism, it's purely from my own mind and came to me in a kind of fever dream. What can I say, these brutal seasons are doing serious damage to my psyche, and liver..