The Chicago Blackhawks will be without star center Connor Bedard for at least the first month of the regular season after he underwent surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday morning.
Bedard will miss about four months while recovering, team physician Dr. Michael Terry announced, setting up the fourth-year center for a November return at the earliest. The Hawks did not reveal the exact nature of the injury.
Bedard was injured last week while practicing in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia, with Kaivo Hockey, a development system founded by Seattle Kraken head of player strategy Justin Rai. Other NHL players and prospects from British Columbia such as Kent Johnson, Andrew Cristall and Gage Goncalves have participated.
During a drill, Bedard lost his footing and fell into the boards. He left the ice holding his shoulder in clear pain.
It was a similar scene to when Bedard injured his right shoulder in the final seconds of the Hawks’ 3-2 loss Dec. 12 in St. Louis. He was knocked down by center Brayden Schenn on the final faceoff, then skated off the ice with a grimace.
That injury wound up sidelining Bedard for 12 games. The Hawks went 5-6-1 in that span.
Bedard fractured his jaw during his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season in 2023-24, forcing him to miss 14 games. Barring a quicker-than-expected recovery, he now is slated to miss time for the third of his four NHL seasons.
The full NHL schedule, which is expanding to 84 regular-season games, will be released July 16 and is expected to begin in late September.
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Bedard’s injury could affect contract extension negotiations with the Hawks, who selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. He is a restricted free agent this summer.
Conversations between the sides have yet to pick up steam, but the injury news could speed up talks. Center Leo Carlsson may have set a floor for a Bedard contract by signing a five-year, $90 million offer sheet ($18 million average value) with the Philadelphia Flyers that the Anaheim Ducks must match to keep the 21-year old.
Bedard, who turns 21 this month, has 203 points (75 goals, 128 assists) in 219 career games and set career highs last season with 30 goals and 45 assists. Carlsson, the No. 2 pick after Bedard in 2023, has 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 201 career games.