The Chicago Blackhawks announced Wednesday morning that rookie center Connor Bedard underwent successful surgery to repair his fractured jaw at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and expect him to be out of the lineup for approximately 6–8 weeks.
MEDICAL UPDATE: Connor Bedard underwent successful surgery to repair his fractured jaw.
We expect him to be out of the lineup for approximately 6-8 weeks. pic.twitter.com/LotxSADHgA
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 10, 2024
It was speculated that Bedard may miss six weeks, but team physician Dr. Michael Terry confirmed the prognosis. The Blackhawks phenom was injured on Friday, Jan. 5, in a 4–2 loss to the New Jersey Devils after taking a hit from defenseman Brendan Smith. He was placed on injured reserve the next day, which means he would be out of action for no less than seven days.
Connor Bedard went to the locker room following this hit from Brendan Smith. pic.twitter.com/OUZyKCBCRx
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 6, 2024
The Blackhawks also lost forward Nick Foligno in the same game, and have since traded for forward Rem Pitlick and claimed forward Zach Sanford from the Arizona Coyotes to fill roster spots. According to Puckpedia.com, the Blackhawks have seven rosters players on the injured reserve list, all of them expected to be major contributors to the team.
Chicago travels to Manitoba on Thursday to face the Winnipeg Jets. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.