Blackhawks update Connor Bedard's status, and its not great

This was supposed to be a big summer for the Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard. He was going to sign a big contract extension and likely be named the new captain of the team, while looking to get the Blackhawks back into contention. Those things will still happen, but there has been a major detour.

Last Thursday, while working out in Vancouver, Bedard took an awkward fall along the end boards and left the ice holding his left shoulder. This is the opposite shoulder he hurt last December.

There was radio silence from the team since then, but when he didn’t return for Tuesday’s workout, you knew it wasn’t good.

The Blackhawks finally updated Bedard’s status, and it’s not the greatest news in the world. This is from team physician Dr. Michael Terry:

“This morning, forward Connor Bedard underwent successful surgery to repair his left shoulder. We expect him to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months.”

This puts Bedard on track to return around mid-November. The season starts earlier this year, so he will miss around 20 games. We’ll have a better idea when the NHL schedule comes out next week. When Bedard injured his right shoulder last December, he returned in about a month, but that injury did not require surgery.

The Blackhawks can’t afford a slow start to the season if they want to be in contention for a playoff spot late in the year. Losing their top player for the first few weeks certainly won’t help.

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