Sports

Connor Bedard is in good spirits after latest injury

Blackhawk Up · Jul 20, 2026 21:15 · 4 min read

Connor Bedard is in good spirits after latest injury — Nov 7, 2025; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) during the third period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The young Chicago Blackhawks star has the right attitude during his rehab.

Connor Bedard has a lot to be excited about heading into the 2026-27 season. He’s got a new five-year, $75 million contract to go along with a talented crop of new teammates, including Bowen Byram and Roman Kantserov.

Unfortunately, he will be spending the rest of his summer rehabbing his third significant injury in the last four years. Instead of continuing his training in Vancouver, he is recovering from surgery to repair a right shoulder injury suffered on July 2.

Despite the frustration of having to miss possibly up to 20 games to start the season, Bedard remains in good spirits after the injury.

The Right Mindset for a Quick Recovery

Bedard met with the Chicago media from his home in Vancouver, and, of course, his injury was one of the biggest topics of discussion along with his new contract.

“It’s feeling good,” Bedard said of his shoulder. “It’s almost two weeks from the surgery now, and now I'm just kind of grinding to do everything I can to make it as good and speedy as I can.”

For a player as competitive as Bedard, having to stay on the sidelines has to be incredibly frustrating. The Blackhawks young star has said many times that all he wants to do is play hockey and be the best player he can. Having to go through a third long rehab in his young NHL career doesn’t seem to be wearing on him mentally.

“It’s not a good feeling at first,” he said. “You’re just trying to figure out what the best steps are for myself, and talking to people in the organization to see what route to go. At the end of the day, once it happens, you can’t change it. So, you just try to attack it with a good mindset to make it go as smooth as possible.”

Time to Break the Cycle

Bedard is now being paid to be one of the best players in the NHL, but he can’t do that while constantly sitting on the injured list. At least his three injuries have been more of a product of bad luck than a body that can’t handle the rigors of the NHL.

The broken jaw in 2024 came from trying to skate through a defender. Lesson learned. The shoulder injury last December was a freak play on a faceoff. This latest injury occurred on an awkward fall. The level of concern would be much higher if Bedard were continually having back problems, or trouble with his groin or hamstrings.

Even with the recent bad luck, Bedard isn’t going to change the way he plays or be worried about getting hurt again.

“Once you’re playing, you can’t go out there scared of anything,” he said. “This one, this summer, you look at it, talk to doctors, and see where the best way to go is. With this one, unfortunately it was surgery. You’ve got to do what’s best for the safety of it. Say I don’t get the surgery and it happens again, then you’re out for the same amount of time. You always do everything you can to try to prevent injuries and stay healthy. It’s a terrible part of the game, but I think for me to have this next little bit and go through this adversity to get stronger mentally. That’s the way I look at it.”

About That Timetable

When the surgery was announced on July 8, the recovery time was put at four months by the team doctors. If Bedard sticks to that timetable, he would return after November 8, meaning he’d miss the first 18 games of the season. Obviously, that is not ideal, but never underestimate how fast he’ll take to get back on the ice.

“We’ll see,” Bedard said about the possibility of coming back sooner. “All I can do is everything in my power to get it right as quickly as possible. Whether that’s quicker than four months, I’m just going to do everything I can day-to-day. At the end of the day, you’ve got to be safe and feel comfortable with it.”

Neither the Blackhawks nor Bedard will rush things and put him in future danger. He will stay in Vancouver for the rest of the summer and work on his rehab. We’ll have a good idea of where he’s at when the team gets back to Chicago for training camp in mid-September.

“I’ll be with the guys as much as possible and see them during camp; hanging out every day at the rink,” he said. “I’m not 100 percent sure yet with what I’ll be doing at that time. I’ll be skating, I think, but for me to be there every day and in the gym grinding.”

Bedard never seemed bummed out or frustrated while talking about his injury today. He’s got a good attitude and a positive mindset, which will both help in the recovery process.