Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, the top pick in last year’s NHL Draft, will be sidelined six to eight weeks after having surgery on his fractured jaw, the team announced on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old Canadian was hurt in a 4-2 loss to New Jersey last Friday when checked by Devils defenseman Brendan Smith.
Bedard has 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games this season to lead the Blackhawks and top all NHL rookies in scoring.
He was named last week to the NHL All-Star Game on February 3 in Toronto but the injury likely means he will be unable to play in the contest.
“I think they are just precautionary on a young guy having a trauma injury like that,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said Wednesday.
“That’s probably a normal timeline for what they were thinking of what the procedure they did.”
Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi said teammates will do all they can to help Bedard’s recovery.
“He has teammates to rely on. Everyone is checking in on him, making sure he’s doing OK. Then once he starts feeling better, he can be around the rink. That’ll help a lot,” Tinordi said. “I know for me, getting around the rink, even when you’re not playing, definitely helped keep your spirits.”
Tinordi missed eight weeks when he suffered a broken jaw in December 2022.
“Your day-to-day doesn’t change too much. He can go in the gym after two weeks or whatever,” Tinordi said. “You can work out, you can lift, you can do all that. Physically he’ll be fine. He takes good care of himself as it is so physically he’ll be OK.”
Bedard will miss his planned return to his hometown of Vancouver when the Blackhawks visit the Vancouver Canucks on January 22.
The Blackhawks, 1-1 without Bedard, have the second-worst record in the 32-team lead with 12 wins, 27 losses and 2 overtime defeats for 26 points. They have missed the playoffs for the past three seasons and in five of the past six campaigns.
