CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard may be facing his biggest challenge yet in his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks: Staying patient while recovering from an injury.
Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, is out 6-8 weeks with a broken jaw sustained in a 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 5.
“He's dying,” Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno said Saturday. “It's pretty funny; the trainers were like, 'Hey, you kind of got to help us, he's not going to listen to us, so you've got to help us keep him at bay here a little bit.’ So, it's been pretty funny.
“He's like, 'I feel fine.’ I'm like, 'Man, just pump the brakes a little bit.' But that's who he is. That's why you love him, and I'm sure he'll come back an even better version of himself, which is a scary thought.”
Bedard was injured when he skated into the offensive zone and was checked by Devils defenseman Brendan Smith in the slot. Bedard left the ice with his hand at his mouth.
The 18-year-old center leads Chicago and all NHL rookies with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games.
“I’m sure he’ll be pushing the envelope, but I think he also understands it’s not something to mess with,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said during their game against the Dallas Stars at United Center on Saturday. “He doesn’t want to force it too soon and miss more time. That would be not good for anyone, and so he won’t want to do that. We’ll make sure he’s put in a good spot and understands the process of healing and being able to take contact and those sorts of things.
“I’m sure he’ll feel great physically, but taking contact’s a whole different animal, especially when it’s bones that are recovering. You need to give that adequate time, so I think he’ll understand that.”
Bedard was named on Jan. 4 to the NHL All-Star Game, which will be held Feb. 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Asked if Bedard would still go to the All-Star festivities even if he couldn’t play, Davidson said, “It’s so early in his recovery that we’ll just kind of kick that can down the road.”
Considering how much Bedard loves to be on the ice -- he’s usually one of the first players on for practice, and usually skates long after it ends -- this is going to be a frustrating wait for him. But Davidson is confident he’ll handle it well.
The Blackhawks (12-29-2) are 1-3-0 without Bedard after a 3-1 loss Saturday.
“It’s still early and I’m sure as things go along and he feels more capable of doing things on the ice, he’ll be excited to get back,” Davidson said. “But all going well right now.”
