Connor Bedard Out Four Months After Surgery

The Chicago Blackhawks will be without their best player to open the 2026-27 campaign. According to a team announcement, forward Connor Bedard is expected to miss four months following successful surgery on his left shoulder. Near the beginning of the offseason, Bedard suffered the injury during a freak accident in training.

Given the approximate recovery timeline provided by the Blackhawks, that puts Bedard’s return in mid-November. It’s worth mentioning that the NHL will have an 84-game regular season starting next year, which means Bedard will miss more games than he would have if the season had started later.

Chicago knows all too well what the loss of Bedard will bring. Through the first 31 games of the 2025-26 campaign, although they weren’t incredibly competitive, the Blackhawks had put together a respectable 13-12-6 record. The reason that 31 games is such an important cut-off is that Bedard was injured in their December 12th matchup, their 31st game of the season.

In that situation, Bedard suffered another freak injury in the faceoff dot against Brayden Schenn, then with the St. Louis Blues. It was an injury to the other shoulder and cost Bedard four weeks of his 2025-26 season. Chicago ended December with a 1-6-1 record without Bedard, losing all their momentum.

Assuming he remains healthy after returning from surgery, Bedard will likely fail to clear the 70-game played threshold for a third time. Despite playing in all 82 games his sophomore year, Bedard finished with 68 in his rookie season and 69 last year due to injuries.

Now, without their best point producer to begin the 2026-27 season, Bedard’s injury likely means that Frank Nazar will move to the team’s top line. Additionally, the Blackhawks do have youngster Anton Frondell, who will likely slot in down the middle of the team’s second line.

Frondell had a great showing toward the end of the 2025-26 campaign, but that’s still a lot of responsibility to put on a young center, especially if Chicago is looking to have a Sharks-style return to competitiveness this season. Regardless, the Blackhawks have some clarity on Bedard’s injury and timeline, and they can now look to iron out the rest of their opening night roster during training camp.