Blackhawks Roster Update: Bedard’s Injury, Del Mastro Called Up, and More

Connor Bedard is headed to injured reserve as the Blackhawks reshuffle their roster, recalling Ethan Del Mastro and Laurent Brossoit

The Chicago Blackhawks announced a series of important roster moves Monday morning. The most anticipated one being Connor Bedard placed on injured reserve. Ethan Del Mastro and Laurent Broissoit were both called up from the Rockford IceHogs—both somewhat surprising. Let’s dive into each move.

Connor Bedard Injury Update

Per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, Connor Bedard will be reevaluated following the New Year. Best-case scenario, this places a return window for early January. From Frank Seravalli, surgery is not considered at this point. This gives about 7-10 games missed. This will certainly impact Bedard’s chances for Team Canada, but considering the injury (which wasn’t disclosed yet), a rest might do Bedard some good.

The Blackhawks will need a lot of their forwards to step up their game in Bedard’s absence. In particular, Frank Nazar needs to start scoring. He’s without a goal in 20 games and has nine points in that stretch. Nick Lardis has an opportunity to step up after scoring 26 points in 24 games with the Rockford IceHogs.

Dec 12, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) reacts in pain after a face off against St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn (not pictured) during the third period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn ImagesCredit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Ethan Del Mastro

Since Sam Rinzel was sent down to Rockford on Dec. 9, the Blackhawks roster carried six defenseman, forcing Jeff Blashill to run a traditional 12 forward/six defenseman lineup. With Ethan Del Mastro, Blashill can either return to running an 11/7 lineup or keep Del Mastro as the seventh defenseman in a more traditional sense. It will be interesting to see who Blashill pairs the left-handed defenseman with. He’s played one game this season with the Blackhawks (the season opener) and has 11 points and a +6 rating in 27 games with the IceHogs.

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Laurent Broissoit

Laurent Broissoit last played an NHL game in 2024 with the Winnipeg Jets. After signing with the Blackhawks in the 2024 offseason, he has yet to play in Chicago due to an injury and subsequent surgery. Broissoit was in Rockford playing under a conditioning stint (which prevented him from being placed on waivers) and had a .900 SV% and a 2-1 record.

Ben Pope announced that the Blackhawks intend to place Broissoit on waivers today. Considering Broissoit’s $3.3 million cap hit, Kyle Davidson doesn’t want to retain any of that in a trade. There are teams that need goalies (the Edmonton Oilers sent Stuart Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tristan Jarry), but teams that are tight to the cap may be wary of Broissoit’s price. Broissoit posted a .927 SV% in 27 games in his last season.