Connor Bedard’s stellar start to the season is on hold. But for how long is the question.
The Chicago Blackhawks center will miss at least Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center after suffering a right shoulder injury a night earlier. He was injured in the final second of the Hawks’ 3-2 road loss to the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.
Bedard was positioned in the right faceoff circle with Blues center Brayden Schenn with 0.8 seconds remaining in the third period. Schenn plowed through Bedard to prevent a quick shot, and Bedard’s arm twisted in the process.
Bedard skated to the locker room wincing in pain with his concerned teammates looking on. Hawks coach Jeff Blashill quickly ruled out Bedard for Saturday’s game, and the center will be reevaluated Monday.
Blashill had no timeline update on Bedard as of Saturday morning, so the Hawks — and their fans — will have to wait anxiously to see how serious the injury to the star center is. Blashill also addressed the play, saying he saw no ill intent from Schenn and calling the injury a “freak accident.”
“Brayden Schenn’s a really good hockey player, he’s not trying to do damage to him there,” Blashill said Saturday. “Connor gets injured before any push happens.”
Bedard, a hopeful for Canada’s Olympic roster, is off to the best start of his career, registering 44 points on 19 goals and 25 assists in 31 games. The star center trails only Eddie Olczyk (65 goals, 180 points) for the most goals and points in franchise history before age 21. Bedard has 64 goals and 172 points and doesn’t turn 21 until July 17.
Forward Nick Lardis was recalled from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs and could make his NHL debut Saturday night. The 20-year-old left winger has never shied away from shooting the puck.
A Hawks third-round pick in 2023, Lardis has 13 goals and 13 assists in 26 games with Rockford this season. He hasn’t lost a step from his time with the OHL’s Branford Bulldogs, with whom he had 117 points (71 goals, 46 assists) in 65 games in 2024-25.
The NHL is a different beast from the AHL, but pro hockey is also a large step from the juniors, and Lardis has had no trouble adjusting. It’s not the ideal call-up for the winger, but he has a chance to make his NHL stay permanent.
“He’s a guy who’s scored a lot of goals throughout his young career going back to junior and he’s had a pretty good start to his American league,” Blashill said. “We felt like (Lardis) gives us another potential offensive guy that can come in and provide some scoring punch.
“You never know how guys are going to come in and play. I don’t want him to dip his toes into the water, I want him to jump right in. Hopefully he can come and give us a good minutes.”
Blashill will make Frank Nazar his top-line center in the absence of Bedard. The forward out of Michigan hasn’t scored since Oct. 28, but has been effective in setting up his wingers for scoring chances.
Without Bedard, someone will have to fill the void and be the offensive anchor for the Hawks. It would be perfect timing for Nazar to snap out of his drought in the next couple of games.
“(Frank) becomes the No. 1 center (and) that comes with some responsibility,” Blashill said. “He’s proven he can do it, (so) he’s got to go out and play at that high level that he’s showing at different times this year and a year ago.”
Ryan Greene will move back to the center position, Blashill said. Forward Dominic Toninato, who was recalled from Rockford on Tuesday, will see ice time as well.