Bedard's return just changed Anton Frondell's Calder race

Anton Frondell earned his spot at the top of the first in-season Calder rankings. The job that put him there ended on Tuesday, when Connor Bedard came back. If you're picking the rookie who pulls away from this pileup, pick the one whose minutes are going up. That's Gavin McKenna.

Frondell's job just changed

Frondell's first six games were a rookie center's dream. He played 18.2 minutes a night and got about two and a half minutes of power-play time, and he had four points, by our count.

In three games since Bedard returned, Frondell is at 15.9 minutes and less than half a minute of power-play time a night, per NHL data. Saturday against Dallas he played 12.7 minutes, his lowest of the season, and didn't see the power play at all.

That isn't a knock on the kid. Chicago's power play now runs through Bedard, and it should.

But Calder races are won with points, and points come from the first unit. Frondell has six through nine games. He'll need to earn the next ones at even strength, against deeper matchups. That's a fine development plan and a tough awards plan.

The pileup

There's no runaway yet, because Trevor Connelly has seven points and four goals in 10 games for Vegas, and nobody in the conversation has more. Four rookies sit at six: Frondell, Ivar Stenberg in San Jose, James Hagens in Boston and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård in Detroit.

Porter Martone, the preseason favorite, has three points in 10 games while Philadelphia struggles around him. Cole Hutson has four points and plays 18.5 minutes a night on Washington's blue line, which is the quietest strong case on the board.

McKenna's bounce

McKenna has five points in nine games, and the week was a ride. Thursday against Buffalo, Jim Hiller sat him for the last 32:54 of a 5-4 overtime loss. He finished with 6:36 of ice time, his lowest of the season.

Both sides said the right things afterward, which is what you'd expect from a first-overall pick and a coach who needs him. McKenna said they "had a good talk." Hiller said, "He's got great confidence."

Then Toronto showed what it meant. Saturday against the Islanders, McKenna played 17.9 minutes and got 5.1 minutes on the power play, both season highs, per NHL data. He had four shots and no points, but that's a coach handing an 18-year-old the keys two nights after taking them away.

He's not there yet, and he doesn't have to be in October.

Stock up / Stock down

• Up: Gavin McKenna. His power-play minutes just hit a season high.
• Up: Trevor Connelly. Third line, four goals, and a coach who already trusts him on the power play.
• Down: Anton Frondell. Nothing wrong with his game. Bedard took his power-play time.
• Down: Porter Martone. Three points in 10 games on a team that isn't scoring.

Prospect watch: Anton Frondell

• Rights: Chicago, No. 3 overall in 2025
• Contract: three-year entry-level deal, signed July 2025
• Last season: 20 goals on loan with Djurgården in the SHL
• Timeline: a second-line center now, behind Bedard, and that's the right spot for a 19-year-old

Kessler's call

McKenna leads all rookies in points by American Thanksgiving. The power-play minutes are the tell, and Toronto just showed its hand.