Chicago Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard is out until January due to the upper-body injury he sustained on a last-ditch faceoff against the St. Louis Blues.
Bedard does not require surgery at this time and will be reevaluated in the new year, Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill told reporters Monday.
The team placed Bedard on injured reserve retroactive to last Friday, when he was hurt on an offensive-zone draw as Chicago trailed 3-2 in the final second. Bedard held his right shoulder and grimaced in distress as he skated to the bench at the buzzer.
Blashill termed the injury a “freak accident” following the St. Louis game. Bedard missed Chicago’s 4-0 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings the next night.
Bedard, 20, is Chicago’s runaway scoring leader with 19 goals and 44 points in 31 games. Before the injury, he was on pace to smash existing career highs of 23 goals and 67 points that he set in 82 appearances last season.
The Blackhawks drafted him No. 1 overall in 2023. He won the 2024 Calder Trophy and tops his draft class with 64 goals and 172 points in 181 career games.
If healthy, Bedard is a candidate to play for Canada in February at his first Winter Olympics.
The Blackhawks summoned 22-year-old defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from Rockford of the American Hockey League on Monday.
Chicago also recalled veteran goaltender Laurent Brossoit, 32, from his AHL conditioning stint. The team plans to waive Brossoit and send him back to Rockford if he clears, Blashill told reporters.
Blashill said captain Nick Foligno, who missed the past month with a hand injury, has a chance to return during this week’s road swing through Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
–Field Level Media
