Chicago Blackhawks place forwards Connor Bedard, Nick Foligno on injured reserve

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed forwards Connor Bedard and Nick Foligno on injured reserve, the club announced Saturday morning.

Bedard, 18, suffered a broken jaw as a result of a heavy hit by defenseman Brendan Smith in the Blackhawks’ 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Friday.

Foligno, 36, also made an early exit from Friday’s game after logging just 7:26 of ice time over 10 shifts. The Blackhawks announced on Saturday that Foligno suffered a broken finger in the loss.

Bedard and Foligno join a large contingent of Blackhawks players on the IR list, including Taylor Hall, Seth Jones, Tyler Johnson, Andreas Athanasiou, and Anthony Beauvillier. The club did not provide a return timeline for either player.

Bedard, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, had been in the midst of a terrific rookie season with the Blackhawks before suffering the injury. The North Vancouver, BC product leads the Blackhawks with 15 goals and 33 points in 39 games this season and had been selected to represent the team at the 2023 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto.

Foligno signed with the Blackhawks last summer after his pending UFA rights were traded by the Boston Bruins to Chicago, alongside Hall, in exchange for Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula. The 1,120-game NHL veteran has eight goals and 17 games in 39 games with this year’s Blackhawks team.

Chicago currently ranks 31st in the NHL with an 11–26–2 record and 24 points in 39 games this season. These two injuries won’t help their case. After picking first overall last year, the Blackhawks are all but certain to be one of the favorites to do so once again this coming summer.

The Blackhawks are slated to return to action on Sunday afternoon to play host to the Calgary Flames at United Center in Chicago at 2:00 p.m. CT.