Blackhawks 2025-26 season derailed because of crucial injury

The Chicago Blackhawks weren’t expected to make the playoffs this season. But the expectation was there for the team to take the next step in their rebuild. That next step would have been something akin to what the San Jose Sharks did this season.

And for the first two months and change of the season, it seemed like that would have been the case.

On December 12, 2025, the Blackhawks were one point out of a playoff spot. They trailed the aforementioned Sharks and the Utah Mammoth by one point for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

But that night, Connor Bedard went down with that freak shoulder injury with less than a second to go in a game against the St. Louis Blues.

It was all downhill for the Blackhawks after that.

While Bedard didn’t miss a ton of time, his absence was enough to derail the momentum the Blackhawks had accrued until then. That loss on December 12 was the first of six in a row. The Hawks dropped seven of nine, and pretty much did not recover.

Chicago would sort of get back on track, but a five-game losing streak in March and a four-game slide in April locked Chicago into the second-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

As for Bedard, he ended up quietly putting up his best season. He scored 30 goals for the first time in his career, totaling 75 points. You could argue that a full 82-game season, without the disruption of his injury, could have led to a 100-point season.

Whatever the case, the impact of Bedard’s injury shows just how important he is to the team.

Bedard on track to be Blackhawks’ next captain

One of the debates surrounding the Blackhawks moving forward is the vacancy left behind by Nick Foligno.

When the club moved Foligno to the Minnesota Wild at the deadline, the Blackhawks’ captaincy became vacant. The heir apparent, it would seem, is Bedard. There’s little argument against the 20-year-old wearing the “C” next season.

Perhaps the organization might feel that he’s still too young for the responsibility. Maybe the club feels that starting the year without a captain might help the team in the long run.

But the optics of not naming Bedard captain may not sit well with fans. That’s why the easiest decision would be to just slap the “C” on Bedard’s jersey and call it a day.

That idea does seem reasonable. But it won’t be possible until Bedard and the Blackhawks agree on a new contract. Until he inks another deal, this conversation will have to wait.

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