Connor Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday morning after an injury in an on-ice training session last Thursday in Burnaby, B.C. The Blackhawks said the 20-year-old will miss at least the first month of the regular season.
That gives Chicago an immediate hole at the top of its lineup. Bedard was the Blackhawks’ leading scorer last season with 75 points in 69 games, and his absence will stretch into the start of a 2026-27 season that opens in late September, earlier than in recent years.
Team doctor Michael Terry said the plan is a full recovery in about four months, which puts Bedard on track to return in early to mid-November. For a player who turns 21 on July 17 and is still a restricted free agent after getting a qualifying offer in June, the timing matters because the Blackhawks are trying to keep moving forward while waiting for their best offensive player to heal.
The injury is not Bedard’s first shoulder problem. He missed about a month last season with an injury to his other shoulder, a reminder that the setback comes on top of a young career already asking him to absorb more than most players his age.
Chicago did add Bowen Byram in a trade that cost the 2026 No. 4 draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres, a move that gave the Blackhawks another piece for the blue line. But replacing Bedard is different. In his absence, Frank Nazar or Anton Frondell will be asked to handle the No. 1 center role, and that is a very different job from simply filling a spot until November.
