The Chicago Blackhawks start to the 2026-2027 campaign has been made complicated as they begin play without their new captain, Connor Bedard. The team appeared to miss Bedard in their opening night matchup versus the Vegas Golden Knights, in which they lost 5-2 to last season’s Stanley Cup finalists. Bedard has joined the team for their opening road trip, but has not yet been cleared for activity. The Blackhawks will have to survive this initial stretch of the season without their franchise player for now. Bedard received an approximate four month return timeline after he received surgery on his left shoulder this summer. However, Bedard has consistently been seen skating and shooting at Blackhawks practices. Could he be back in game action for the Blackhawks sooner than expected?
Bedard Comments on Rehab Process
Bedard made an appearance on the What Chaos podcast yesterday, in which he was asked about how his recovery process is going. Bedard had this to say on whether he could return to the ice soon: “I don’t know, I’m just doing what I can. It feels really good, I’m out there doing basically everything on the ice. Who knows, that’s not really up to me in the end. I would play right now if I could. There’s a lot smarter people that can make that decision, so we’ll see. Just kind of do what I can on a day to day.”
No clear updates have been given by the team in terms of if Bedard’s timeline has changed. Bedard has not given anything away in regards to his situation, but his comments provide some hope for Blackhawks fans that his return could be in the not too distant future. The fact that he feels strong enough to play is a good sign; the last major hurdle to clear is getting the okay by team doctor’s once he’s good to go. Bedard has been taking slap shots in practice, another encouraging sight that he might not be far away from coming back.
Blackhawks Need to be Smart with Bedard
There is a tricky balance at play here for this Blackhawks team to consider. On one hand, of course they would want Bedard to return to the team as soon as possible. Chicago’s chances of winning games are much higher with their best player in the lineup. With that said, rushing Bedard back for the sake of just getting him in the lineup would not be wise. These are the early days of a fresh season; the closer Bedard is to 100% health when he’s cleared the better. The last thing this team needs is to force Bedard back in the lineup in a compromised position; that opens up the risk of further injury.
Overall, the team simply has to make do without Bedard until their captain is activated off of injured reserve. It is not known what that exact date will be at this point, but an October return could be in the cards if Bedard continues to progress well in his rehab process. In the meantime, this will be a crucial period for the team to get through. If Chicago wants to crack a playoff spot this season, they need to keep themselves above water during this time without Bedard.
Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard Shares the Latest on His Injury Recovery Timeframe