Although the Chicago Blackhawks have struggled mightily to start the 2026-27 NHL season, captain Connor Bedard has done his part, recording four goals and 10 points in nine games.

The franchise cornerstone has 79 career goals and can become the sixth player in Blackhawks history to reach 80 before his 22nd birthday when Chicago visits the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night.

“Only Jeremy Roenick (111 goals in 225 games), Bobby Hull (86 in 245), Denis Savard (84 in 208), Jonathan Toews (83 in 222) and Patrick Kane (83 in 264) have scored at least 80 goals for the Blackhawks before their 22nd birthday,” noted NHL.com.

Bedard has 79 goals and 134 assists in 228 career regular-season games. He missed the first six games in 2026-27 following offseason shoulder surgery in July.

He remains the most important player on the roster and will be a catalyst if Chicago hopes to snap a slump that's seen the team lose three in a row and six of seven dating back to Oct. 17.

Things will be even more difficult without veteran forward Patrick Kane, who will miss the next couple of contests after suffering an upper-body injury in a 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.

The rebuild hasn't quite gone as planned in the Windy City; after four consecutive last-place finishes in the Central Division, the Hawks are once again at the bottom of the division through 15 games.

They're 4-10-1, and besides Bedard and Kane — along with some solid contributions from Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov — the squad has struggled at both ends of the rink.

The Blackhawks are scoring just 2.20 goals per game and allowing 3.87, both 31st league-wide.

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Both figures will need to improve significantly as the campaign goes on, or regardless of how well Bedard plays, they'll be at the bottom of the Western Conference once again in 2026-27. The hope is that the returns of Kane and key offseason acquisition Bowen Byram will help to right the ship moving forward.

Bedard doesn't turn 22 until July, giving him plenty of time to join those franchise legends. The more immediate priority is helping Chicago get back on track Wednesday in Florida.

Puck drops at Amerant Bank Arena just past 7:30 p.m. ET.