Connor Bedard and Taylor Raddysh are neighbors in the same apartment building— and now Blackhawks linemates too

MONTREAL — Imagine you’re an NHL rookie living in the same apartment building as your coach.

Chicago Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson recalled how he caught Connor Bedard unaware while both were shopping in a grocery store in their building.

“I had the cart and I went up behind him and I was pushing it against his back,” Richardson said. “Downtown Chicago, I could see him stepping to the side, he felt uncomfortable.

“I pushed a little harder and he moved again, and then finally he turned around with big wide eyes and he saw me and he just smiled. Welcome to the building.”

Fortunately for Bedard, he at least has backup in case he needs it. Teammate Taylor Raddysh lives there too.

Now Bedard and Raddysh are neighbors and linemates.

Taylor Hall missed Saturday’s game against the Canadiens with an upper-body injury. Raddish played in Hall’s place on the top line with Bedard and Ryan Donato in the Hawks’ 3-2 loss.

Bedard said Raddysh is a great player and an even better influence.

“He’s such a good guy, and he’s been really good to me,” Bedard said. “He’s always making sure I’m good, obviously living in the same spot. It’s helpful having him there. He can show me around and everything.

“He’s so mature. He’s just 25 years old, but just the way he carries himself and how he acts, how he has been with me, helped me. He’s someone I feel like I’ve gotten closer to every day and that’s really exciting.”

Raddysh recorded his his first point of the season Saturday, assisting on Tyler Johnson’s first goal early in the third period. Last season Raddysh put up career highs in goals (20) and assists (17).

“He’s a great player,” said Bedard, who also picked up an assist Saturday. “I’m excited to play with him. And hopefully, I can just get him the puck because he’s got a great shot.”

The feeling is mutual.

“He’s so smart, he can create some plays that you’ve just got to be ready to shoot at all moments or try to get him the puck at all moments when he’s open,” Raddysh said.

Or, he added, be open when Bedard is looking to get you the puck.

“You’ve got to just read off the way he’s playing, and the same thing with Donato, he plays heavy as well,” Raddysh said.

After Hall left in the second period of the loss to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday after a blindside hit, Andreas Athanasiou joined Bedard’s line.

But late in the third, Richardson threw Lukas Reichel into the mix, and Bedard had back-to-back shots on goal.

Richardson considered keeping that Reicel-Bedard combination, but he explained Friday why he opted for Raddysh instead.

“We tried that (with Reichel) at the end of last game, I thought it looked good,” Richardson said. “We had a good spark there. So it’s always nice to know and go back to if we need.

“But we just want to give Reichs some more time at center. And both of them can’t play center on the same line. … And Radds is one of our better shooters, right? So we got a shooter on both sides of (Bedard).”

With defenses on guard for Bedard’s shoot too, “if they overplay him on the shot, he can make plays, as we’ve seen,” Richardson said. “So we have him surrounded well (with Raddysh and Donato). And it gives Reichel a little speed with Double-A (Athanasiou) out there with him.

“We just think this is more balanced for us right now, and it gives those two young guys a little more of a look at center that we want to see where they go with it.”

While the lineup change is about supporting Bedard, it could have big implications for Raddysh, who will become an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent after the season.

“It’s a big season for me,” Raddysh said during camp. “It’s a contract-year type of thing.”

While Sam Lafferty was a nice find for Kyle Davidson, Raddysh was part of the first major trade for the Hawks general manager.

Davidson traded Brandon Hagel to the Tampa Bay Lightning late in the 2021-22 season as part of a package that included a 2023 first-rounder (used to select Oliver Moore), Boris Katchouk and Raddysh.

“Any player that’s got an expiring contract, it’s important to them to show their value and perform at the level they want,” Davidson said.

Compared to the Hawks, Raddysh had an uphill climb in Tampa, Fla.

“Not playing a lot in Tampa, just being a lower fourth-line guy and coming here and getting a bigger role, it was big for me and I just want to build off that and continue and just try to be more consistent for sure.”

Last season, Raddysh played on the second line with Jonathan Toews and Philipp Kurashev. For the first half, he also played first-unit power play with Patrick Kane and Max Domi.

“Taylor had a great year last year and hopefully he can maintain that into this year and then we’ll let the contract details sort themselves out in time,” Davidson said. “But (we’re) definitely looking for Taylor to play a big role with us and establish himself as a consistent everyday performer and player that can impact our lineup very positively.”

Raddysh can do that anywhere in the lineup, but playing with Bedard certainly doesn’t hurt. But that opportunity has a clock on it.

Hall’s return might not be as far off as originally expected.

“He told us he’s a miracle fast healer,” Richardson said. “I didn’t know what that meant, but I was surprised to see him on the ice this early.”

Hall didn’t play Saturday but he’ll be reevaluated before Monday’s game against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

“I’m hungry for as much opportunity as you can get,” Raddysh said.

“It’s nice when you get put in situations like this (playing with Bedard), but at the same time you’ve got to be ready for them and try to make the most of it.”