Connor Bedard to miss 6-8 weeks with fractured jaw
As reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard had surgery on Monday to repair his fractured jaw and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
Hearing Connor Bedard underwent surgery on Monday to repair his fractured jaw.
Bedard is expected to miss approximately 6-8 weeks, meaning #Blackhawks will unfortunately need an injury replacement at #NHLAllStar.@DailyFaceoff
Bedard took a heavy open-ice hit from New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith in the first period of Chicago’s game on Jan. 5. The team placed Bedard on injured reserve the following day.
Drafted first overall in 2023, Bedard quickly established himself as the favorite for the Calder Trophy. He has 33 points in 39 games while carrying a bad Hawks team offensively, especially with injuries to key players like Seth Jones and Taylor Hall.
Viewed as a generational player, Bedard’s season being impacted by injury mimics Connor McDavid’s freshman season in 2015-16 when he dealt with a broken collarbone. Artemi Panarin went on to win the Calder that season, with McDavid finishing as a finalist alongside Shayne Gostisbehere.
Along with Foligno, Bedard joined a large contingent of Blackhawks players on the injured reserve list over the weekend. The list includes Hall, Jones, Tyler Johnson, Andreas Athanasiou, and Anthony Beauvillier, but it still didn’t stop them from beating the Calgary Flames over the weekend.
Bedard’s injury will leave the Hawks an even deeper hole than before. They sit last in the Central Division, with their .317 points percentage giving them the second-best odds behind the San Jose Sharks to select first overall. The North Vancouver, BC product had also been selected to represent the team at the 2023 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto but will now miss out on being the lone rookie representative.
The Hawks will look to avenge its 2-1 loss to Edmonton last night by taking on the red-hot Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night. They’ll then return home against the Dallas Stars on Saturday before welcoming San Jose on Tuesday in what could be important for the draft lottery race down the line.