There has been loads of nervous anticipation from Chicago Blackhawks fans over the last 48 hours amidst the uncertainly surrounding star forward Connor Bedard’s injury. Finally, after Monday’s practice session at Fifth Third Arena, head coach Jeff Blashill shared an update on Bedard’s status.
According to Blashill, Bedard will be out for the rest of December and is set to be re-evaluated after the New Year. While Blashill didn’t get into specifics on the injury, saying only that it’s an “upper-body” issue, he added that Bedard will not need to undergo surgery or have a procedure at this time.
“Let’s start with the rehab and see where it goes,” Blashill said. “I’ll have a better update after that.”
The Blackhawks have seven games remaining on the schedule before the calendar flips to 2026, and Bedard will be out of the lineup for all of them. Chicago also begins the New Year with six games in the first ten days of January.
While it’s unfortunate that Bedard, currently fourth in the NHL with 44 points, will miss multiple weeks, Monday’s update should be looked at in a relatively positive light. Bedard has seemingly avoided a more threatening injury, and he only requires rehab to fix whatever the issue may be. It’s also promising that the Blackhawks placed Bedard on the standard injured reserve list, rather than long-term injured reserve.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but I would say it’s certainly not the worst prognosis,” Blashill said. “It could have been worse.”
Technically, Bedard could return to the Blackhawks this upcoming Saturday for the final game of the road trip, as he only has to be out for seven days while on injured reserve, retroactive to Dec. 12. However, the team will hold him out for longer, even if Bedard wishes that wasn’t the case.
“He wants to be back next week,” Blashill said with a laugh. “That’s the approach that he takes. He would have preferred [being] day-to-day. The reality is, we won’t let him [return] until after the New Year.”
Blashill mentioned that Bedard has been in good spirits and maintained a positive attitude over the last few days. He also verified that Bedard’s injury, which occurred in a battle with St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn during an offensive-zone faceoff, came before contact was made between the two players.
“You can tell it happened prior to the push…. Honestly, it was a freak accident. It had nothing to do with Schenn pushing him. That’s just a natural reaction after you lose a faceoff. Brayden is a quality guy, and there was no ill-intent at all.”
Life without Bedard will undoubtedly be difficult for the Blackhawks, especially on the offensive side. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick has scored or assisted on nearly 50 percent of the team’s goals through 32 games this season. It’s going to be a tough task for Chicago to remain competitive without their superstar, but they are lucky he didn’t suffer a more significant injury.
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