While the Blackhawks try to figure out Connor Bedard’s contract and linemates for next season, they might also need to worry about Bedard himself.
The Hawks’ cornerstone star suffered an apparent left shoulder injury while skating Thursday in his hometown of Vancouver.
A video of the incident shows Bedard losing his balance and falling into the boards, then quickly skating off the ice holding his left shoulder in apparent pain.
It looked similar to how Bedard skated off the ice Dec. 12 in St. Louis after injuring his right shoulder — the opposite shoulder — on a final-second faceoff against the Blues. Ryan McGregor, a Hawks blogger watching the practice Thursday in Vancouver, first reported the news and described it as reminiscent of the St. Louis incident.
Bedard missed four weeks of games as a result of that injury, but he wasn’t 100% — and wasn’t able to take faceoffs — for his first month back in the lineup. It wasn’t until the end of the Olympic break, more than two months after the injury, that he appeared back to 100%.
If Thursday’s injury follows the same timeline, Bedard would theoretically be healthy for the start of training camp in mid-September. But his offseason training could be disrupted, and the pattern of shoulder injuries could also be concerning long-term.
Bedard’s agent, Don Meehan, did not immediately respond to a request for information Thursday. Bedard is also currently without a contract as a restricted free agent, although his camp and the Hawks have been negotiating.
