Connor Bedard Has Surgery, Timeline Revealed

Chicago Blackhawks rookie sensation Connor Bedard has had surgery on his fractured jaw, and the team has now learned that he will be out of the lineup for approximately six to eight weeks. That'll cost him at least 16 games.

Hearing Connor Bedard underwent surgery on Monday to repair his fractured jaw.

Bedard is expected to miss approximately 6-8 weeks, meaning #Blackhawks will unfortunately need an injury replacement at #NHLAllStar.@DailyFaceoff

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 10, 2024

His recovery period means that Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, will be forced to miss his first-ever All-Star Game, set for February 3rd in Toronto. A replacement from the Blackhawks will need to be named.

The 18-year-old suffered the unfortunate injury last Friday in the first period on an open-ice hit by New Jersey Devils defenceman Brendan Smith.

The Blackhawks will also be without Nick Foligno for a while as a result of the incident, after he broke his finger in a fight following the hit on Bedard. 

The first-year phenom has had a tremendous start to his NHL career, leading all rookies with 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points in 39 games while playing 19 minutes a night. 

The Hawks' injured list is lengthy, with Bedard and Foligno joining the likes of Seth Jones, Taylor Hall, Anthony Beauvillier, Tyler Johnson, and Andreas Athanasiou.

Chicago finishes the first half of their schedule at 12-27-2, last place in the Central Division, and with the second-worst record in the NHL.