Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard will miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder on Wednesday.
Recovery Timeline
Team physician Michael Terry said Bedard is expected to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months. The NHL hasn’t announced its regular-season schedule, but the Blackhawks played their first game last season on Oct. 7.
Bedard, who turns 21 on July 17, got hurt while skating with a group of NHL players last week in western Canada. It’s a major blow for a Blackhawks team trying to emerge from a painful rebuilding process.
Bedard’s Career
Bedard set career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games in his third NHL season. He missed 12 games after he hurt his right shoulder on a draw during a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Dec. 12.
“He’s so important to our team,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in April. “He took such a big step forward this year in every facet.”
Bedard is a restricted free agent, and it remains to be seen if the injury has any effect on the negotiations for his next contract. He missed nearly six weeks of his rookie season with a broken jaw.
Chicago went 29-39-14 last season, an 11-point improvement and still nowhere near playoff contention. It has finished No. 31 in the NHL each of the past three years.
Defenseman Bowen Byram was acquired in a trade with Buffalo on June 23, and the Blackhawks signed forward Cole Smith and defenseman Ian Cole on the first day of NHL free agency.
Bedard reached out to Byram, Smith and Cole after they were brought in by the team.
“Obviously a superb young talent,” Cole said Wednesday when asked about sharing the ice with Bedard. “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.”
Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.
