The Chicago Blackhawks began their rebuild with a bang back in 2023 when they landed the No. 1 overall pick and Connor Bedard, but since then, it’s been slow going for the rebuild, with the development of several key pieces taking much longer than anticipated for the organization.
General Manager Kyle Davidson has put some solid pieces around Bedard, but given what’s happened in San Jose with Macklin Celebrini, it’s safe to say that plenty of Blackhawks fans have become frustrated with how the rebuild has been handled. Unfortunately, things seemed bleak recently when Bedard went down with an injury during a recent on-ice training session, and now, things have gotten worse for the former No. 1 pick.
Connor Bedard to Miss the Start of the 2026/27 Season
GettyConnor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks.
While it seemed like a simple fall on the ice, the longer time went on without an update on the Blackhawks star center, the more fans began to worry that it could potentially be a serious injury.
It may have been a simple fall, but Bedard was clearly in immense pain, and on Wednesday, the Blackhawks revealed that he would miss four months as a result of the injury to his left shoulder, meaning he will miss the first month of the 2026/27 campaign.
Thankfully for Chicago, this happened early in the off-season, and as a result, Bedard will not miss too much time during the season, but with no opportunity now for a proper training camp and pre-season, this is an injury that could potentially hamper him throughout the 2026/27 campaign.
Connor Bedard Injury the Latest in a Poor run With Injury
In his second season in the NHL in 2024/25, Bedard played in all 82 games, but in his first and third year, he’s missed a combined 27 games, and with the rising superstar now set to miss a month of action to begin the season, it’s unfortunate to see a pattern emerging with the former No. 1 overall pick.
While there will be people calling him out for being ‘fragile’ as a result of this latest injury, this was simply a freak accident on the ice where he fell on his shoulder wrong, and if he can get back to 100% before he gets back on the ice, there’s no reason why this one should effect him moving forward. The good news for Chicago is that when Bedard was healthy in 2025/26, he was the best we’ve ever seen him, posting 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games played, and if the team can find some production outside of their star center, they could certainly fast track this rebuild back into Stanley Cup Playoffs contention.
For now though, the team and the fans will have to begin the 2026/27 season knowing that Bedard won’t be on the ice, but if they can stay afloat until No. 98 gets back on the ice, there’s a chance they could be a dark horse for a Wild Card spot in the very, very tough Western Conference.
Connor Bedard Injury Update a Brutal Blow for the Chicago Blackhawks