Blackhawks' Connor Bedard Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Out 4 Months
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
Blackhawks' Connor Bedard Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, Out 4 Months
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
Summary
Four months is Bedard’s expected recovery timeline after left shoulder surgery Wednesday, sidelining Chicago’s star center until early to mid-November and costing him at least the first month of the season.
The Blackhawks said the 20-year-old was injured during an on-ice training session in Burnaby, British Columbia, last Thursday, when he fell awkwardly and skated off clutching his left arm.
Chicago now opens its late-September season without the player who led the team with 75 points in 69 games last year, deepening early pressure on an offense that already struggled.
Frank Nazar or Anton Frondell is expected to fill the No. 1 center role while Bedard recovers, as the Blackhawks try to push their rebuild forward after adding defenseman Bowen Byram.
The injury also lands during a pivotal offseason for Bedard, a restricted free agent whose next contract is widely expected to rank among the NHL’s richest.