CHICAGO — Connor Bedard, the star center for the Chicago Blackhawks, went under the knife Wednesday for surgery on his left shoulder, and he won’t be ready when the puck drops to open the new season.
Team physician Michael Terry indicated that Bedard is expected “to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months.” While the NHL has yet to release its regular-season schedule, the Blackhawks opened play last year on October 7.
Bedard, who will turn 21 on July 17, suffered the injury while skating with a group of NHL players last week in western Canada. The setback is a tough blow for a Blackhawks organization that has been working hard to climb out of a difficult rebuilding stretch.
This past season, Bedard put up career-best numbers, recording 30 goals and 45 assists across 69 games. He had already missed 12 games earlier in the year after injuring his right shoulder during a faceoff in a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on December 12.
General manager Kyle Davidson spoke glowingly of Bedard back in April, saying, “He’s so important to our team. He took such a big step forward this year in every facet.”
Bedard currently holds restricted free agent status, and it’s unclear whether the injury will complicate ongoing contract negotiations. This isn’t his first major health scare — he also missed nearly six weeks of his rookie season after breaking his jaw.
Chicago finished last season with a 29-39-14 record, which represented an 11-point improvement over the prior year, though the team remained well out of playoff contention. The Blackhawks have landed at No. 31 in the NHL standings in each of the last three seasons.
The team has been active in adding new players, acquiring defenseman Bowen Byram from Buffalo in a trade on June 23, and signing forward Cole Smith and defenseman Ian Cole on the opening day of NHL free agency.
Despite his injury, Bedard personally reached out to welcome Byram, Smith, and Cole to the organization.
When asked Wednesday about the prospect of playing alongside Bedard, Ian Cole offered his thoughts: “Obviously a superb young talent. Unfortunately, yeah, it sounds like it’s going to be a little later than originally anticipated, but you know he seems like a great guy.”
Chicago has not appeared in the postseason since the NHL used an expanded playoff format following the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.
Bedard has been the cornerstone of the franchise since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He made his highly anticipated NHL debut that October and went on to claim the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie. In his second season, he appeared in all 82 games, tallying 23 goals and 44 assists.
