ST. LOUIS — An injury to Connor Bedard greatly outweighed all concerns over the Blackhawks‘ 3-2 loss to the Blues on Friday.
Bedard left the ice in substantial pain, holding his upper right arm or shoulder, ahead of his teammates after the final horn. He had awkwardly fallen after getting hit by Blues center Brayden Schenn while taking a faceoff with 0.8 seconds left.
Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said Bedard won’t play Saturday against the Red Wings, adding he didn’t have enough information yet to make any declarations about Bedard’s status beyond that. Blashill expected to know more by Monday, before the Hawks’ three-game road trip in eastern Canada.
“I think it’s a freak accident, to be honest with you,” Blashill said.
Hawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser said Bedard “ran into the training room quick” after the game.
Connor Bedard exits the ice in serious pain holding his shoulder pic.twitter.com/LIf1pWgnW3
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) December 13, 2025
Minutes earlier, Bedard had hustled to force a turnover and create an Andre Burakovsky goal that pulled the Hawks within one with 5:52 left. That marked Bedard’s 44th point in 31 games this season, which puts him tied for third in the NHL scoring race.
The Hawks ultimately weren’t able to complete a comeback, even though Tyler Bertuzzi actually got a decent shot off at the horn while Bedard sprawled on the ice in agony.
The Blues, coming off an ugly loss Thursday in Nashville, jumped on the Hawks early with two goals in the first 12 minutes — off plays where the Hawks gave the scorers far too much time and space.
“They came out super ready, and we came out to just play hockey,” Blashill said. “Too many guys weren’t as competitive as you need to be. It was physical early, and we needed to come out with way more mental focus. Not every guy, but too many guys.”
Central stunner
The Central Division already looked difficult with the Avalanche and Stars, owners of the NHL’s two best records by a sizable margin, sitting atop it. On Friday, it got even tougher.
The Wild swung a stunning blockbuster trade for Quinn Hughes, arguably the second-best defenseman in the world, while the Hawks and Blues skated through warmups.
The Wild paid a steep price: three recent first-round picks (including Zeev Buium) plus a 2026 first-round pick. And they took a risk that Hughes will re-sign with them, considering he’s a pending free agent in 2027 who could be lured by his brothers in New Jersey.
Nonetheless, the trade drastically transforms the Wild — who just convinced Kirill Kaprizov to sign a long-term deal in September — into possible Stanley Cup contenders, at least for two years. The Red Wings, Devils and other Eastern Conference teams had headlined the recent Hughes rumors; nobody saw the Wild coming.
The Hawks have enough assets to have theoretically competed with the Wild’s offer, but it wouldn’t have made sense for them to make a move like that right now with their contention window not quite open yet. If a similar opportunity arises two or three years from now, they might be interested.
The Hawks still have nine games left against the Avalanche, Stars and Wild on their schedule this season.
Vanacker’s invite
Hawks forward prospect Marek Vanacker was a surprising exclusion from Canada’s initial roster for the world junior championships, but he picked up a late invite to their training camp Friday.
Vanacker, a 2024 first-round pick, leads the OHL with 26 goals this season. He could now compete against fellow Hawks prospects Vaclav Nestrasil (Czechia), Anton Frondell (Sweden) and AJ Spellacy (United States) in the tournament.