Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard undergoes shoulder surgery after injury, will miss start of season

Posted July 08, 2026 2:31 pm

By Mark Lazerus and Scott Powers

Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard will miss at least the first month of the regular season after having surgery on his left shoulder for an injury suffered during an on-ice training session in Burnaby, B.C., last Thursday, the team announced.

Bedard had the surgery on Wednesday morning, the Blackhawks said. Team doctor Michael Terry said in a released statement, “We expect him to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months.”

That puts Bedard’s projected return in early to mid-November. The 2026-27 season starts earlier than in recent years, in late September.

The 20-year-old Bedard, who turns 21 on July 17, is a restricted free agent. The Blackhawks gave him a qualifying offer in June. His next contract has been highly anticipated this offseason and could put him among the league’s top-paid players.

Last week, Bedard skated off the ice clutching his left arm after an awkward fall at Scotia Barn in Burnaby, where he was skating with other NHL players.

Bedard missed about a month with an injury to his other shoulder last season, after he was knocked down by the Blues’ Brayden Schenn during a faceoff in St. Louis.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson signaled that the team is ready to take the next step in its lengthy rebuild after acquiring defenseman Bowen Byram in a trade that sent the No. 4 pick to the Buffalo Sabres. But without Bedard, their leading scorer last year with 75 points in 69 games, the offensively challenged Blackhawks will be behind the 8-ball early. Either Frank Nazar or Anton Frondell — both first-round picks themselves — will take over as the team’s No. 1 center in his absence.