Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
Chicago Blackhawks rookie forward Connor Bedard underwent surgery on Monday to repair his fractured jaw, the team announced Wednesday morning. He is expected to miss roughly 6-8 weeks.
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"I think they are just [being] precautionary on a young guy having a trauma injury like that," Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said. "If it’s earlier, great. But I think that's probably a normal timeline for what they were thinking of what the procedure they did."
This means Bedard will miss the 2024 NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 3 and the Blackhawks will need a replacement (Jason Dickinson?). He would have been the youngest player in league history to participate in the event.
Bedard suffered the injury on Jan. 5 after taking a big hit in the first period from New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith. He was seen holding his jaw area as he went to the locker room and did not return.
Bedard leads all rookies this season with 15 goals, 18 assists and 33 points in 39 games. He was the Calder Trophy front-runner prior to the injury but that could be in jeopardy now.
