The Chicago Blackhawks suffered a considerable blow to their forward lineup thanks to the injury to forward Connor Bedard, who has been unavailable since the conclusion of Friday evening’s 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Bedard was injured when taking the final face-off of the game with only seconds remaining in regulation against Brayden Schenn, who pushed into Bedard and caused him to fall backward.
Bedard immediately rose to his skates while clutching his right shoulder and grimacing in pain. Afterward, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill explained that not only would Bedard be unable to play in Chicago’s next game, but the latest news on his condition is not encouraging.
The Blackhawks have officially ruled Bedard out of the lineup until after New Year’s, and will officially be re-evaluated in January.
Head coach Jeff Blashill, who is in his first season behind the Chicago bench after having served as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning in each of the last three seasons, explained that injuries are a reality in the game of hockey and that his former team is going through the same thing with multiple players.
Itâs one of those things, this stuff happens. I just talked to the coaches in Tampa (Bay), I think theyâre out another defenseman. I think theyâre missing four of their starting [defensemen]. Itâs just part of pro sports and obviously Connorâs a huge piece,â said Blashill.
Bedard leads the Blackhawks so far this season with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 total points, and he’s on pace to smash both of his previous career-highs in both categories.
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Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard won’t play until 2026
Despite the disappointing health setback for Bedard, who was enjoying a fantastic season for the Blackhawks, head coach Jeff Blashill said that his attitude remains positive in the face of difficult circumstances.
âHonestly, his attitude is good,” Blashill said. “I think he wants to be back next week. Thatâs the approach that he takes: he wants to be back. He wouldâve preferred I had said âday to day,â but…the reality is we wonât let him do that [until] after the New Year.â
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Jeff Blashill Said There Was No Ill Intent on Schennâs Part
The circumstances surrounding Bedard’s injury wasn’t the result of a dirty play in Blashill’s mind, who also noted that his star player was already injured before the fateful incident with Schenn at the end of Friday’s game.
âWhen I looked at the face-off, you can tell that what happened, happened prior to the push. So, it was prior to the push, as he was trying to go forward with the face-off, it was unfortunate,â he said. âHonestly, it was probably a freak accident. It had nothing to do with Brayden pushing after and thatâs just a natural reaction after you lose a face-off to do that. Brayden is a super quality guy. There was no ill intent at all.â
The Blackhawks clearly missed Bedard during their 4-0 shutout setback against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday evening, and he’ll miss at least their next seven games before the calendar flips to January.
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