CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard will be out of the Chicago Blackhawks' lineup for the rest of December and will be reevaluated in January, coach Jeff Blashill said on Monday.
The center sustained an upper-body injury with one second left in the third period of a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday while taking a face-off. Blues center Brayden Schenn went in for a stick lift and knocked into Bedard, who fell backward to the ice. He was clutching his right shoulder as he headed toward the locker room.
“It’s one of those things, this stuff happens. I just talked to the coaches in Tampa (Bay), I think they’re out another defenseman. I think they’re missing four of their starting [defensemen]," said Blashill, who was an assistant for the Lightning the previous three seasons. "It’s just part of pro sports, and obviously Connor’s a huge piece."
Blashill reiterated that Bedard was hurt prior to Schenn pushing him.
“When 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,” he said. “Honestly, it was probably a freak accident. It had nothing to do with Brayden pushing after, and that’s 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.”
Blashill didn’t want to specify the injury, but when asked if Bedard would have to undergo any procedure or surgery, the coach said the 20-year-old will go through rehabilitation now and they will see if anything else is necessary when he’s reevaluated. Tuesday, on Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts" podcast with Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas, Bedard confirmed he has a shoulder injury.
“Honestly, his attitude is good," Blashill said. "I think he wants to be back next week. That’s the approach that he takes, he wants to be back. He would’ve preferred I had said day to day, but ... the reality is we won’t let him do that [until] after the New Year.”
The Blackhawks (13-14-6) have six games remaining in December after a 3-2 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. The current timeline also means Bedard will not play before the Dec. 31 deadine for Team Canada to submit its roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
And with his team-leading 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists), which is tied for sixth in the NHL, Bedard is certainly in the mix to reprsent Canada in Milan.
Blashill said Bedard’s absence means the Blackhawks have to focus on two things: getting better defensively, which he said they need to do regardless of Bedard’s status, and getting more net-front goals. Forward Tyler Bertuzzi has been their best at the latter and is second on the team with 26 points (16 goals, 10 assists) in 30 games. Fifteen of his goals have come from high-danger areas, which leads the NHL, according to NHL EDGE stats. Nine of Bedard’s goals have come from high-danger areas.
“Tyler’s probably the one guy on our team that’s great at it, and he’s a natural at it, but anybody can do it,” Blashill said. “The one thing I’ve been impressed with Connor this year is he’s gone to the net, been net-front numerous times, so everybody can do it. Certainly, tipping pucks and things like that, there’s a hand-eye, a skill to that, but being around the net and creating the chaos, anybody can do.”
Chicago continues a three-game road trip at the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, CHSN). Nick Foligno (hand) is on the trip, but whether the Blackhawks captain plays remains uncertain. Foligno has skated on his own for several days but hasn’t practiced with his teammates since being injured on Nov. 15 against the Maple Leafs.
“It’s going to be on everybody to step up and do their part,” Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson said. “It’s going to be on everybody as a unit to step up and get wins. Whether they have to be greasy, 1-0, 2-1 wins or if we can find a way to put a bunch in the net, that’s great, but a win’s a win.”
Chicago will miss Bedard, but it can’t use his absence as an excuse to lose ground in the standings. The Blackhawks trail the San Jose Sharks by five points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
“It’s something we’ve had to focus on throughout the year is simplicity, being simple, making simple plays and sticking to our systems,” forward Frank Nazar said. “It’s going to be a great test, right? We’ve got adversity to go through and something we have to fight against and prove we can come out on top.”
