CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard will be in the lineup for the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time since Jan. 5 when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins at United Center on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, NBCSCH, SN360).
The 18-year-old center has been recovering from a fractured jaw sustained on a hit from New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith in the first period of a 4-2 loss at Prudential Center.
Coach Luke Richardson had said Monday that Bedard could return next week. Asked on Thursday what changed in recent days, Richardson said, “He had a doctor’s appointment in the morning and in the afternoon (Wednesday), one just taking a scan and the other one finally meeting with the doctor late in the day. We didn’t know much until then and kind of had to put him through the next step early this morning, get him a little bit of battle. He said he was fine. As always, he was ready to come back but we wanted to make sure he had a little bit of battle and talked to him about protecting himself a little bit out there, as everyone should.
“He’s a puck possession guy, so his stick’s on the puck on the ice a lot of times. He’s got to be aware, especially this time of year. It’s fast. So we put him through some paces with some of the guys and myself this morning, and we just asked him after and he said, ‘Yep, I feel good, I feel comfortable.’ He didn’t feel like he was shying away from anything. He got to the front of the net in battle drills and he looked fine. He looked like himself, so he’s eager to go.”
Bedard had surgery Jan. 8, and Monday will mark six weeks of recovery; his original timeline was 6-8 weeks. He said Feb. 7 he was ready to take part in a full practice while at Wrigley Field to help announce that the Blackhawks will play the St. Louis Blues in the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic at the home of MLB's Chicago Cubs.
"I mean, I feel good and ready but obviously there's a process of it," Bedard said that day. "Obviously anyone who's hurt would say it's frustrating, but trying to do as much as I can and be prepared when I'm back.
"No injury is good, but I think you want to try to be as positive as you can. I say that to you, but there've been some times when I've been upset, of course. But a week after [the injury], I was back on the ice. That's a positive, for sure."
Bedard began skating on his own Jan. 15, wearing a full-face shield and a green non-contact jersey. He started participating in non-contact portions of practice Feb. 6 but had to take contact since the injury until Thursday, when he did so against Richardson and some extra players.
As for how long Bedard will wear the face shield, Richardson said, “I don't know. That's probably a timeline for the doctors. It'll be probably be a few weeks, a month or maybe a couple months.”
Despite being out more than five weeks, Bedard is tied with Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber for first among NHL rookies with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games. Wild forward Marco Rossi ranks third with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 53 games.
Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, was selected to the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game in Toronto on Feb. 3. Though he couldn't play, Bedard attended the festivities and was a special guest passer at the NHL All-Star Skills at Scotiabank Arena the day before.
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report
