The latest Connor Bedard injury certainly adds some concern for fans, hoping to avoid yet another dismal season in the Windy City. Now, the Chicago Blackhawks’ newly extended franchise center is expected to push hard to beat a four-month recovery timeline for his latest shoulder injury. That update is according to Bedard’s agent, per reporting from Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times.
Days ago, Bedard signed a new five-year contract worth $15 million annually that buys out one year of unrestricted free agency. Bedard spoke on a myriad of topics Monday afternoon, including reaffirming his commitment to Chicago. That commitment extends to his desire to get back on the ice as quickly as possible.
Can Bedard’s Recovery Timeline Shrink?
Connor Bedard injured a shoulder for the second time in about eight months. The first was to his right shoulder in December. He missed nearly a month of the season, and he wasn’t quite the same player when he returned. Bedard injured his left shoulder during off-season training, which required surgery.
Bedard’s agent, Don Meehan, reportedly told Chicago General Manager Kyle Davidson to expect Bedard to want to suit up faster than his currently estimated four-month recovery timeline.
Per Pope’s reporting:
‘‘As I said to Kyle: ‘You better be prepared. After 3½ months, he’ll be in your office, and he’s not going to be a very positive guy if you don’t give him clearance to play. He’ll be miserable to live with,’ ’’ Meehan said. ‘‘[Kyle] laughed and said: ‘I understand that all too well. I remember the jaw [injury in early 2024].’
‘‘[Connor is] absolutely determined. He’s been talking about a very aggressive form of rehab. There’s no reservations about him being totally committed to…being back as soon as possible.’’
Latest Connor Bedard Injury Casts Doubt on New Season
Chicago isn’t likely to be a popular pick to make the playoffs. Even with the additions of Bowen Byram and Ian Cole on the blue line, Chicago has a heavy hill to climb. The Blackhawks remain in the business of projecting how young players will improve year-over-year. The Hawks organization is counting on improvement from Bedard, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore and many other young players. That only becomes harder with Bedard sidelined for months.
Simultaneously, the Hawks have a big bet on former Kontinental Hockey League standout Roman Kantserov. Fans hope the smallish winger will live up to names like Artemi Panarin, Kirill Marchenko and Kirill Kaprizov. Between his youth and small stature, Kantserov isn’t a lock to be any type of immediate boost.
Kantserov becoming a major contributor will be harder with Connor Bedard’s four month recovery timeline. That will cost him some conditioning, training camp, pre-season and part of the regular season. Building chemistry between Kantserov and Bedard is critical this season, and now it will have to wait.
The Numbers Post-Injury Paint a Worrying Picture for Bedard
Bedard didn’t look like the same player after suffering a shoulder injury in December. Upon returning in January, Bedard still put up points, finishing with 31 in 38 games. But the Hawks went 11-20-7 in that stretch. Bedard was deeply underwater in basically every five-on-five metric, including Corsi (42.3 percent), Fenwick (41.5 percent), shot differential (40.7 percent) and high-danger chances (31.9 percent). Critically, Bedard was minus-16 in five-on-five goals after returning from injury and just a 36.6 percent rating for Expected Goals, per Natural Stat Trick.
The numbers can make your eyes glaze over, but they paint a simple truth. Bedard was across-the-board better by every statistic before getting hurt. He scored 44 points in his first 31 games, was plus-four at five-on-five and the Hawks were much closer to respectable at 13-12-6.
Simply put, the latest Connor Bedard injury needs to be fully resolved before Chicago should feel comfortable letting him back on the ice.
Good News on the Injury Front
The Blackhawks need a healthy Bedard to even sniff competitiveness this season. Certainly, there will be questions about how quickly he can get up to speed once he does return.
Chicago received good news as well. Doctors do not believe that the two shoulder injuries Bedard has now suffered in just eight months are linked, Pope reported. In other words, both injuries were unpleasant and disappointing. Yet, neither of them should be a long-term concern.
Bedard has received a surprising amount of criticism early in his career. It’s likely in part because Chicago has been so uncompetitive in his three seasons there. The Hawks consecutive streak of generating the league-worst in expected goals, per Natural Stat Trick, has been part of their struggle. For Bedard’s part, he’s scored 75 goals and 128 assists for 203 points in his first 219 games.
The counting stats are there, and Bedard has shown flashes of being more than just a scorer. Whether he lives up to his potential — and stays healthy enough to do it — could come down to some of Kyle Davidson’s team-building hunches.
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