The Chicago Blackhawks announced Wednesday that star rookie Connor Bedard had jaw surgery and will be out six to eight weeks.
He was placed on the injured list, along with forward Nick Foligno, who suffered a fractured finger during a later fight with Smith.
How the Bedard injury timeline affects him and the NHL rookie race:
Connor Bedard will miss the NHL All-Star Game
Bedard, 18, the top pick in the 2023 NHL draft, was named as the Blackhawks’ All-Star representative the day before his injury. He would have been the youngest All-Star in NHL history. The All-Star weekend in Toronto is Feb. 1-3 and the injury timeline would have him out until late February or early March.
How does the Connor Bedard injury affect the rookie race?
Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid, like Bedard a generational prospect and No. 1 overall pick, was limited to 45 games as a rookie in 2015-16 because of a broken clavicle and finished third in the Calder Trophy voting behind Artemi Panarin and Shayne Gostisbehere.
Bedard still leads rookies in the scoring race with 15 goals, 18 assists and 33 points. He already has missed two games. Six weeks would cost him another 15 games and eight weeks would bring that total to 22 games. Assuming he misses the full 24 games and is healthy the rest of the season, he’d end up playing 58 games.
Here are some players who could pass Bedard in the rookie race:
Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils: The defenseman is averaging more than 20 minutes a game as the Devils deal with an injury to Dougie Hamilton. He’s 10 points behind Bedard and plays on the league’s No. 3 ranked power play. Like Bedard, he has had some highlight-reel plays.
Adam Fantilli, Columbus Blue Jackets: The 2023 No. 3 overall draft pick has filled in as Columbus’ top center in the absence of captain Boone Jenner and had 13 points in 14 games in December. Jenner should return later this month, but Fantilli has shown himself to be an elite rookie.
Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild: The defenseman is averaging nearly 25 minutes a game, kills penalties, blocks shots and has 20 points in 40 games.
Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild: The forward is three goals and nine points behind Bedard. He has 12 points in his last 19 games.
Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina Hurricanes: The goaltender has assumed the No. 1 role with Frederik Andersen out and has gone 11-4-3 since his November recall. But he left Thursday’s game after a collision in the crease and has entered concussion protocol.
What is the latest news on Connor Bedard?
He took to the ice after Monday’s practice, wearing a face shield and a no-contact jersey.
‘He’s been begging,’ Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson told reporters. ‘I think they said it was OK, but he’s been getting specific instructions. He’s not allowed to take slapshots, so he’s not allowed to really clench (his jaw) right now.’
Richardson said he didn’t think Monday’s appearance changed the timeline for Bedard.
‘It will be good for him to get moving,’ he said. ‘He just has to be careful right now.’