Jeff Blashill has spoken critically of Connor Bedard's play as of late

Since returning from injury, Connor Bedard has struggled to say the least. Bedard recently suffered a shoulder injury during a face-off against Brayden Schenn of the St. Louis Blues. This would ultimately force Bedard to miss 12 games. Over the past eight games, he has been back for Bedard and has registered one goal (an empty-net goal) and three assists. Bedard has also received recent criticism from head coach Jeff Blashill for his play.

Blashill comments on Bedard's game

Following a recent game, Jeff Blashill touched upon Connor Bedard's play, mentioning “Maybe that’s hurt him, not having consistency there,” Blashill said on Sunday night. “Sometimes you’re trying to help spark guys, and you end up hurting them by making too many changes. But again, you can’t fault the work ethic, can’t fault the care. It just hasn’t gone the way that it had prior to him getting hurt.”

Injury concern for Bedard

What is scarier for Bedard and the Blackhawks is that Bedard has not been taking faceoffs since returning. This could imply that Bedard is not fully healed and rushed back into action. The Blackhawks remain in the playoff fight, trailing the last wild card spot by a mere five points. This could very well be why Bedard rushed back. Bedard has been the driving force of the Hawks' offense, and his absence has made a noticeable decline in production. Bedard has had a strong season with the Blackhawks, producing 48 points in 39 games.

The Blackhawks have dealt with key injuries to their forward core, with young star Frank Nazar also missing time. Adding both of these guys back into the lineup nearly at the same time will throw off the offense. Players over the past stretch have gotten used to playing with their lines and built chemistry, and switching the lineup will definitely mess up players more than expected.

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Bedard will be back to full strength soon. He has improved very much from his first two seasons in the NHL and will only get better from here. Expect Bedard to be back to himself over the next stretch of games.