The Chicago Blackhawks couldn’t make it through July without getting serious injury news. After an injury in offseason training, star center Connor Bedard is expected to be out four months after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder.
Last week, a video surfaced of Bedard having a serious accident during a training session on the ice. Ice came out in an obvious disadvantage, and Blackhawk’s worst fears came true.
This is the second shoulder injury Bedard has suffered in a month. In December, Bedard suffered a shoulder injury against the St. Louis Blues and missed 12 games. Bedard has missed at least 13 games in two of his first three NHL seasons, and will have an extended layoff to begin the 2026-27 campaign.
Based on the timeline provided by the team, Bedard should be back in early November. In the past, that meant he would only miss two or three weeks, but that will be at least double that with the NHL reducing its roster and expanding the regular season to 84 games. Bedard is now slated to be moved by a month, with opening night pushed back to late September.
No. The 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bedard has flashed superstar potential on numerous occasions, but injuries and a miserable shot have prevented him from making a permanent leap into the league’s elite ranks. Bedard’s production – 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games – was outstanding last year. However, like the rest of the team, his game is still plagued by warts defensively.
After the failed trade for Buffalo Sabers defenseman Bowen Byra, the Blackhawks were hoping their rebuild would finally turn a corner in 2026-27. Bedard is entering his fourth year, other top prospects are ready to take on bigger roles and Spencer Knight has emerged as a budding star in goal.
Now, Bedard’s injury has thrown a wrench into those plans, and the Blackhawks will have to weather the storm.
Another setback for Bedard, the Blackhawks
The Blackhawks haven’t reached the playoffs once since 2017 — in the 2020 bullpen — and have seriously rebuilt after the 2020-21 season. After the sixth season, which he gave up to repair, he made little progress.
Chicago went 29-39-14 and finished 31st in the league last year. It was an 11 point improvement on the previous season, but it still left them with an 18th spot in the playoffs. After digging themselves into such a deep hole at the start of their rebuild, the franchise still has a long way to go to re-establish itself as a Stanley Cup contender.
Even if Bedard had been healthy to enter the season, the Blackhawks became a long shot to play in the playoffs. There are already serious questions about Byram’s ability to be a No. 1 defense, and there is a big drop behind him on the blue line. Up front, there was a lot of work for Chicago to break the way for the team to compete for the season.
The Hawks were — and still are — in the big leagues counted by Frank Nazar, Anton Frondell and Oliver Moore. Each of these first-round picks has combined for 194 games and 100 points. The trio may have been formidable enough a few years ago, but in 2026-27? That’s a bit of a stretch.
As for Bedard, he will jump to another place, but now he will be behind the curve when he returns in November. It’s probably unfair to expect Bedard to be at his best immediately upon his return, especially with a new coach implementing a new plan, so the first quarter of the season could be spent with Bedard fully comfortable.
It’s a tough shot for a player who needs to take another step forward for his team to do the same. It still could happen, but Bedard’s injury gives the Blackhawks no room for error. Is the team around Bedard enough to float without him for the first 15 games of the season? Is Bedard good enough to pull the Blackhawks back into the playoffs? I just haven’t seen enough evidence of either to believe Chicago has more than a slim chance of making the plays.
If Chicago is looking for silver linings, the threat of another team throwing out a gargantuan offer for Bedard’s towel is much less now. Opposing teams probably don’t want to throw a boatload of money at Bedard without knowing more about his long-term shoulder health. With that being the case, general manager Kyle Davidson should take this opportunity to strike a contract extension with the star in short order.