Chicago Blackhawks star centre has been placed on injured reserve after suffering an upper-body injury last week.
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
Connor Bedard already had an uphill battle to get the call for Team Canada and now it has only gotten steeper.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Don’t have an account? Create Account
The Chicago Blackhawks centre was placed on injured reserve on Monday with an upper-body injury, with the move retroactive to Dec. 12.
The first-overall pick from the 2023 NHL draft had put himself into contention to make Canada’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics this coming February in Milano-Cortina, Italy.
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said that while the 20-year-old centre will be reevaluated in the new year, he will not require surgery.
Bedard was injured while taking a faceoff with less than a second remaining in Friday’s game against the St. Louis Blues. Trailing 3-2 and in the Blues’ offensive zone, Bedard attempted to win the draw to create one final chance, but was knocked backwards to the ice by St. Louis centre Brayden Schenn as time expired.
Bedard immediately grabbed his right shoulder and headed to the locker room, accompanied by a trainer.
Your noon-hour look at what’s happening in Toronto and beyond.
By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.
Connor Bedard has been placed on IR retroactive to Dec. 12th, he will be eligible to return no sooner than the 19th pic.twitter.com/ovk2g2gKTD
Blashill said after the game that he didn’t think that the play was dirty on Schenn’s behalf.
“Honestly, I think it’s a freak accident,” Blashill said.
The coach said that despite Bedard’s desire to get back on the ice, he won’t be back until the new year.
“He wants to be back next week. That’s the approach that he takes, he wants to be back,” Blashill said, according to Ben Pope of Chicago Sun-Times. “He would’ve preferred I had said ‘day-to-day.’ But … the reality is we won’t let him do that before after the New Year.”
Earlier this month, Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong spoke glowingly of Bedard and fellow young star Macklin Celerbini.
“They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do, in the sense that we wanted to take the first two or three months to give everybody an opportunity to play their way onto the team, or at least to be talked about as contenders,” Armstrong told Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com. “There are a young group of players who certainly have done that.”
However, with the deadline to name the roster for the Games falling on Dec. 31, Armstrong could be hard pressed to include Bedard, who will still be on the shelf.
Heading into Monday’s games, Bedard ranked fourth in the league with 44 points in 31 games and his 19 goals had him tied for fifth. He was well on his way to setting a career-high in goals after scoring 23 last season.
Bedard already missed Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings and will miss at least the team’s next seven games.
The Blackhawks are in action next on Tuesday night in Toronto against the Maple Leafs, who have issues of their own to deal with.
In a corresponding move, the Blackhawks also recalled defenceman Ethan Del Mastro and goaltender Laurent Brossoit from Rockford of the American Hockey League. Brossoit had been in the minors on a conditioning assignment while Del Mastro has two goals and four assists in 27 career NHL games.
The 2026 Winter Games marks the return of NHL players after having been absent from the 2018 and 2022, which were hosted by Pyeongchang, South Korea and Beijing, China, respectively.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.
365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4
© 2025 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can manage saved articles in your account.
and save up to 100 articles!
You can manage your saved articles in your account and clicking the X located at the bottom right of the article.
Hockey News