Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard On Track In Injury Recovery

The target remains in sight as the Chicago Blackhawks anticipate opening the season without their star forward. Center Connor Bedard is on track in his recovery from a shoulder injury sustained in offseason training per Scott Powers of The Athletic. The Blackhawks assigned Bedard a four-month timeline after he underwent surgery to address the injury in early-July. That designation put Bedard on track for an early-November return, which would force him out of the first 14 games of Chicago’s season.

Powers added that Bedard has returned to skating and may be ahead of schedule as he prepares for the 2026-27 season. His absence would still be a major setback for Chicago. Bedard has been the focal point of the Blackhawks’ offense since his 2023 debut, scoring 61 points in 68 games as a rookie and increasing his production to 75 points in 69 games last season – or an 89-point pace over 82 games.

Bedard has led the Blackhawks in scoring in each of his three seasons with the club. Chicago locked him down for the foreseeable future with a five-year, $75MM contract announced after he sustained his injury. That contract sets Bedard up to take the next step next season – boosted by offseason additions Patrick Kane and Roman Kantserov. Those incoming pieces, in addition to top prospect Anton Frondell, provide Chicago’s offense with a serious boost headed into the 2026-27 season.

That could lay the groundwork for another career-year for Bedard, though his health will be a critical component of his success. Bedard played through every game of the 2024-25 season – but missed 14 games of his rookie season and 13 games last year. The Blackhawks’ offense has sputtered without Bedard, posting an 8-17-2 record and just 2.07 goals-per-game through his career absences. Chicago will face that challenge again to start the year.

Bedard’s absence will likely lead to elevated minutes for Frondell, who is expected to shift to a center role this season, as well as bona fide center Frank Nazar. They will hold down a new-look top-six for the Blackhawks, flanked by Kane, Kantserov, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Teuvo Teravainen. Bedard’s return – which could come slightly sooner than expected – will grant Chicago much more flexibility.