The Chicago Blackhawks received unfortunate news on Wednesday. Star rookie Connor Bedard will miss the next six to eight weeks after having surgery to repair a fractured jaw. The Chicago star left his team's game on January 5 after taking a hit from New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith.
On Wednesday, head coach Luke Richardson addressed the timeline for Bedard's recovery. “I think they are just precautionary on a young guy having a trauma injury like that,” said the Blackhawks coach, via NHL.com. “You know, if (he comes back) earlier, great. But I think that's probably a normal timeline for what they were thinking of what the procedure they did.”
Bedard has taken the league by storm in his first NHL season. The former Regina Pats star scored 15 goals and 33 points through 39 games before the injury. The 18-year-old was named as Chicago's NHL All-Star Game representative on January 4. However, he will miss the event as he recovers from his fractured jaw.
Blackhawks are supporting Connor Bedard through jaw injury
Wednesday's media availability held an underlying message. The Blackhawks are supporting Connor Bedard through this injury. It is the first time at the professional level he has had to deal with something like this. And his team is making sure he isn't going through this alone.
“He has teammates to rely on, everyone’s checking in on him, making sure he’s doing OK. Then once he starts feeling better, he can be around the rink,” veteran teammate Jarred Tinordi said, via NHL.com. “That’ll help a lot. I know for me, getting around the rink, even when you’re not playing, definitely helped keep your spirits.”
Richardson mentioned that the team's full resources and support are behind their 18-year-old rookie. The Blackhawks head coach said they want Bedard to know that they have his back as he recovers from this injury.
“Everybody's looking after him the way they would with anybody, but especially for a young guy and his first time through it, just to give them some reassurance and insurance that he's got the support around him,” Richardson said Wednesday, via NHL.com.
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