The Blackhawks’ planned step toward playoff contention in 2026-27 has already hit a massive snag.
Connor Bedard, the team’s best player, will be sidelined approximately four months after undergoing left shoulder surgery Wednesday.
That slates Bedard to theoretically return in early to mid-November, more than a month after the start of the season Sept. 29. He will likely end missing at least 15 games or so, although it’s hard to say for sure before the Hawks’ schedule release July 16.
Bedard suffered the injury while skating last Thursday with his usual group of Vancouver-based pros. Sabres forward Zach Benson, Canucks forward Arshdeep Bains and Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni were among the players on the ice at the time.
A video of the incident showed Bedard losing his balance and falling into the boards, then quickly skating off the ice holding his left shoulder in pain.
Bedard injured his right shoulder — his other shoulder — during a game last December and elected not to undergo surgery in that case. He missed about a month of action and was less than 100% for another month or so after returning.
Bedard is also currently without a contract as a restricted free agent. His camp and the Hawks have been negotiating, but the shocking price tag on Ducks center Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet from the Flyers might have recently changed the dynamic of those negotiations. This injury could also affect the price tag slightly.
On one hand, it’s certainly preferable that this injury occurred in the middle of the offseason rather than during the season.
On the other hand, this marks three major injuries in three calendar years since the Hawks drafted Bedard, adding to his broken jaw during his rookie season and his shoulder injury last season. Bad luck was a major factor in all three, and none of them increased the likelihood of the others, but it’s a worrying pattern nonetheless.
This story will be updated.
