Forever intertwined. The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks are bitter rivals in their ferocious Central Division, and another key piece of their storied history just happened. Following the Blues' naming of their 25th captain in franchise history, the Blackhawks named their 37th captain.
We can all guess who it was. Connor Bedard, one of the game's greatest young players, will go head-to-head with Robert Thomas and the Blues for many years to come.
Rivalry renewed
This rivalry has still been very competitive in recent years, despite both teams being on the bottom half of the league. With promising futures already underway for both franchises, and now a respectable captain to lead them in place, these two teams facing off will be a must-watch.
The Blackhawks leveled up in skill players adding
For the Blues, their youth will start to shine through soon enough, and to protect them could be a devastating trio of 6-foot-5 forwards on the fourth line. The grittiness and intensity are back in the Blue Note, and there is no stopping the potential freight-train line of Alexey Toropchenko, Jack Finley, and Ross Johnston. Another name to add here would be Pius Suter, who could get a bit nasty himself.
Both teams on the upswing
Both teams have so many young stars making their way into their own, or just entering the league. For the next decade, there will be a chance to see these two teams consistently fight for every single point as they race toward the top of the Central Division.
The similarity in captains, but with a big difference in age, is going to be an interesting watch. Thomas is in his prime and heading toward his best years, while Bedard is already a superstar at just 21 years old. Both franchises needed to name and highlight a face for their future, and they accomplished that over the summer.
For this upcoming season, the anticipated captain-on-captain opening faceoff will have to wait as Bedard is out for a few months following a shoulder injury. Thomas should take advantage of this opportunity as he will have a much easier time not lining up against one of the best centers in the NHL.
The Central Division is a rough and tough bunch of teams, and now, every single team has a captain on their roster. It will be interesting to see which one leads their team the furthest.
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