The Chicago Blackhawks announced on Wednesday that their standout rookie Connor Bedard will miss six and eight weeks as he recovers from jaw surgery.
Bedard suffered a broken jaw after taking a hit from New Jersey Devils’ Brendan Smith in the Blackhawks’ 4-2 loss last week.
During a chat with reporters, Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said that the longer timeline for Bedard’s recovery is a result of precaution by the medical team.
“I think they just are precautionary on a young guy having a trauma injury like that,” Richardson said. “I mean if it’s earlier, great, but I think that’s probably a normal timeline for what they were thinking of what the procedure they did.”
The Blackhawks can afford to take a cautious approach, considering they were unlikely to compete for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs even before Bedard got hurt. They are currently sitting at the bottom of the Central Division with the second-worst record in the league at 12-27-2.
The injury brings to a pause Bedard’s outstanding rookie campaign. He was leading all rookies with 15 goals and 18 assists while also securing an All-Star nod. The first-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft was set to become the youngest player featured in an All-Star game at 18 years and 201 days.
