The Chicago Blackhawks’ shoddy 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues suddenly became an afterthought with what occurred in the final seconds on Friday night.
While battling at the faceoff circle in the offensive zone with only 0.8 seconds left on the clock, Connor Bedard injured his right shoulder/arm and left the ice in clear discomfort. Bedard took a check from Blues forward Brayden Schenn off the faceoff, and his arm appeared to twist awkwardly during the sequence.
Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill already ruled Bedard out for Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, but he didn’t have enough information to know whether it will be a short-term or long-term absence for the star forward. Blashill added that he’ll know more about the situation by Monday, before the team hits the road for a three-game trip in Canada.
“He won’t play tomorrow,” Blashill said. “At some point through the weekend, I’ll know more. I’ll probably have more info come Monday… I think it’s a freak accident.”
With Bedard set to miss Saturday’s game, the Blackhawks have only 12 healthy forwards on the active roster. Sure, Blashill can still fill out a full lineup, but perhaps the team would like to make a call-up from Rockford to add some offensive firepower. No offense to Dominic Toninato, who was recalled on Tuesday, but that’s not exactly his forte.
While no one can step in and fill Bedard’s shoes, the Blackhawks have a prospect who’s been tearing it up offensively for the IceHogs in his first professional season that could provide some help. 2023 third-round pick Nick Lardis currently leads all AHL rookies with 13 goals and 26 points through 24 games. He’s also fifth in goals and sixth in points among all players in the league.
With GM Kyle Davidson keeping a patient approach with all of his top prospects in recent years, it makes sense that Lardis opened his first year of pro hockey at the minor-league level. But now past the quarter-mark of the season, Lardis has shown in a large enough sample size that he can dominate the AHL scene.
Just one year ago, Frank Nazar was in a similar situation with the Blackhawks. The team elected to have him start the 2024-25 season in the AHL with Rockford, but he earned an NHL call-up after recording 24 points (11G, 13A) in 21 games. Well, Lardis has now produced at a similar rate in nearly the same number of games. Is it time for GM Kyle Davidson to bring him up to Chicago?
Perhaps that decision isn’t made until the team knows more about Bedard’s status. Regardless, Lardis, who became the first player since John Tavares in 2006-07 to record 70 goals in a single season in the Ontario Hockey League, has been knocking on the door for a promotion. Even if Bedard hadn’t gotten hurt against the Blues, he was likely to get his first NHL opportunity in the near future.
If the Blackhawks wait to make a roster move until after the weekend, either Ryan Greene or Nazar is expected to jump into the top-line center spot against the Red Wings. Nazar has been the team’s second-line center iceman all season, while Greene has been playing wing on the top line with Bedard and Andre Burakovsky for over a month now.
It’s a shame that Bedard won’t be able to play in the Original Six matchup at the United Center on Saturday, which is one many fans were excited about. Former Blackhawks Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat are coming to town, while it’s also Chris Chelios Bobblehead night. It’s always fun when the Hawks take on the Red Wings, even if the two teams aren’t in the same conference anymore. But all of the buzz has now been overshadowed by Bedard’s injury.
Hopefully, this will be the only game Bedard misses for Chicago.
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