With Connor Bedard sidelined, the Blackhawks navigate key roster moves and a challenging Canadian road trip.
Welcome back to the return of On Tap Sports Net’s weekly Blackhawks update. In case you missed it, yesterday, we had a roster update that included news on Connor Bedard’s injury, Laurent Broissoit’s status, and Ethan Del Mastro’s call-up. Today, we’ll go over some of the big news items from the previous week, recap some games, and look at what’s in store this week.
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
Tasting Flight – Game Recaps
The Blackhawks are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and sit three points out of a Wild Card spot. Watching the standings wasn’t on any Hawks fan’s agenda this season. But here we are. The Blackhawks bounced back from a brutal California roadtrip with a shutout against the New York Rangers, but dropped their next two. The St. Louis Blues defeated the Hawks—the same game that ended with a Connor Bedard injury—and the Detroit Red Wings shut out the Hawks during their centennial celebration of the “Madhouse.”
Closing Time – News Recap
Connor Bedard seems to be on track for an early January return date. You can read more about that here, as well as some other roster moves that were made on Monday.
Sam Rinzel and Landon Slaggert were both sent down to the Rockford IceHogs on Dec. 9. Rinzel has four points in three games with the IceHogs.
Dominic Toninato was called up from Rockford to provide the Hawks with forward depth.
Ethan Del Mastro and Laurent Broissoit were both called up from Rockford on Dec. 12.
Scott Powers of The Athletic wrote an article detailing players who could step up in Bedard’s absence. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote about prospect Vaclav Nestrasil’s impressive season in the NCAA.
Story continues below.
More Sports News
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Frank Nazar entered the season with a ton of hype. A new contract and a point-per-game pace sparked early conversation over whether Nazar or Bedard would be the team leader in goals. Bedard’s incredible performance and Nazar’s quiet production (his injury deserves mention) have put that debate to rest. However, with Bedard out, Nazar has the opportunity to take a huge step forward. It’s an opportunity that he needs to take.
What’s On Tap Next?
The Blackhawks have three games this week as they hit the road in Canada. With Bedard, all three teams could be winnable games. The Maple Leafs (although resurging) are too slow to match the Hawks’ speed. The Montreal Canadiens have questionable 5-on-5 defense and goaltending (their offense and powerplay is a different story). The Ottawa Senators are only one spot ahead of the Leafs in the standings (both out of playoff spots). But the Hawks don’t have Bedard, which means things could get ugly.
Tuesday, Dec. 16 @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 6:00 p.m. CT
Thursday, Dec. 18 @ Montreal Canadiens – 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, Dec. 20 @ Ottawa Senators – 2:00 p.m. CT