Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard, injured in Friday's loss to the St. Louis Blues, will miss the remainder of December and be reevaluated in January. The update comes days after initial reports of his upper-body injury, as the team prioritizes recovery for their points leader.
Following his upper-body injury late in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday—described as a freak accident during a faceoff—Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill announced Monday that Connor Bedard will miss the rest of December. The 20-year-old, who leads Chicago with 44 points (19G, 25A) in 31 games (fourth in NHL), clutched his right shoulder as he exited.
Bedard hopes to return sooner, but rehab is the focus, with reevaluation planned for January. His absence hampers the Blackhawks' playoff push; they're three points out of a Western Conference spot at 13-13-6. To cope, Chicago recalled defenseman Ethan Del Mastro (11 points in 27 AHL games) and goaltender Laurent Brossoit (2-1-0, .900 SV% in AHL) from Rockford.
Forward Tyler Bertuzzi (26 points, 16G in 29 GP, NHL-leading 15 high-danger goals) will lead the attack. 'It’s going to be on everybody to step up,' said Jason Dickinson. The Blackhawks open a three-game road trip Tuesday vs. Toronto. Nick Foligno remains out (hand); Nick Lardis debuted Saturday.