Bedard Sidelined Until November, Implications for the Blackhawks – The Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks

The hockey world found out on Wednesday afternoon (Jul. 8) that Chicago Blackhawks’ young superstar Connor Bedard has undergone successful surgery to his left shoulder, after injuring it in an offseason summer skating session. His timeline for recovery is expected to be four months, which would get him back on the ice in early November.

This is a tough blow for the Blackhawks, who are striving to break out of rebuild mode and take that next step towards contention. Let’s look at the implications of having their best player out for at least the first month of the season, and how they can overcome it.

Injury Implications for Bedard

To review, Bedard was skating at one of his usual sessions with other NHL players at Scotia Barn in Burnaby, just outside his native Vancouver. This past Thursday (Jul. 2), in what appeared to be just a fluke fall, the 20-year-old left the ice holding his left shoulder and in obvious pain.

I have video of Connor Bedard leaving practice today with a left shoulder injury, as first reported by @RyanmcgregorCHI. You can hear him in severe pain as he leaves the ice: pic.twitter.com/MySM1UwLht

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) July 2, 2026

There was no further news until the update after his surgery. Ironically, Bedard hurt his right shoulder while taking a faceoff last season on Dec. 12, causing him to miss four weeks of playing time. This injury did not require surgery, but he was limited to not taking faceoffs upon his return to play. He started taking draws again by the end of the season, but opted not to attend the IIHF World Championships in May, citing more rest and recovery for this right shoulder during the offseason.

Does two shoulder injuries in less than one year make Bedard injury-prone? Or is this just an unfortunate coincidence? It’s tough to say. All we can do at this point is speculate, and hope Bedard is putting his injuries behind him.

What we do know is that the young Blackhawk’s cornerstone will miss all of training camp and at least the first month of the 2026-27 season. The season also starts early this year due to the new 84-game schedule. We’ll find out for sure on Jul. 16, but the Blackhawks first game will likely be at the end of September.

Injury Update on Connor Bedard ❤️ pic.twitter.com/v1SXNAdSp8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 8, 2026

The good news is Bedard is young and highly motivated. When he sustained a broken jaw during his rookie season, he was begging for clearance to return to play long before his projected timeline expired. Granted, a shoulder is a little bit more important for playing hockey than a jaw. But I’m sure Bedard will do everything in his power to get back on the ice as soon as he can.

Bedard’s Contract Still Looms

On top of all this, Bedard is a restricted free agent and due a new contract. The Blackhawks issued him a qualifying offer in June, but that was simply because negotiations were still ongoing. Then Leo Carlsson, selected just one spot behind Bedard in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers that will pay him $18 million a year for the next five years.

This likely complicated matters with Bedard and the Blackhawks. He probably wasn’t tendered an offer sheet by another team because of his injury uncertainty, or because he refused to consider one based on his loyalty towards the Blackhawks.

But either way, Carlsson’s huge offer may have upped the ante regarding how much Bedard will get paid. But will the injury now affect discussions as well? If I was Blackhawks’ general manager Kyle Davidson, I would get to work paying Bedard what he’s worth, injury be damned!

However, I have a theory that an agreement might already be in place. Bedard signed his entry-level contract on his 18^th birthday, July 17, 2023. Is this a tradition he wants to keep, and all parties involved are waiting until he turns 21 to announce his next contract?

I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Who Will Step up With Bedard Out?

Bedard was the Blackhawks leading scorer last season. His contributions will be tough to replace. Let’s face it; the team is built around him. Adjustments will definitely need to be made during his absence.

There was some controversy at the end of last season when newcomer Anton Frondell usurped Frank Nazar’s spot as the team’s second line center. Nazar was consequently demoted to third line center. There’s been debate about whether either Frondell or Nazar would fare better on the wing, but that’s a bit of a moot point now. With Bedard out as the No. 1 center, Frondell and Nazar will likely slot in as the top two down the middle.

After them, I’m guessing Oliver Moore will now line up at center. He played better there last season than he did on the wing. Ryan Greene could play center as well, especially since he won’t have Bedard to play with and complement him among the top-six forwards. This could also be an opportunity for Sacha Boisvert, who plays center, to make the team out of training camp.

Beyond the center position, veterans Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen will need to step up their respective games to support the younger players. This could be Nick Lardis’s time to really shine. Roman Kantserov will be completely new to the NHL. But more pressure will be on him to make an impact sooner rather than later.  

It won’t be easy, but the Blackhawks will need to take a next-man-up mentality. Who knows, perhaps being out their top player will allow for others to grow their game that much faster. Then when they add Bedard back into the fold, watch out!

I understand this is a super positive outlook. But you can bet this is the mindset the Blackhawks will need to have, and what head coach Jeff Blashill will be preaching. It’s super unfortunate Bedard was injured. But at least it happened in the offseason. When he returns he might be rusty, but he’ll also be fresh and ready to go.

Now to get that contract signed and keep looking towards the long-term future.