Connor Bedard has undergone surgery: he will miss the start of the season

Bad news for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Last week, Connor Bedard was injured during an on-ice practice. He was seen in a lot of pain after suffering an injury to his left shoulder.

Remember that last season, he also injured his shoulder… except that time it was his right shoulder.

And now, just minutes ago, the Blackhawks confirmed that Bedard will need surgery to repair his shoulder. And we're talking about a recovery period that will last… four months.

He'll therefore miss the start of the season, which begins in three months.

Injury Update on Connor Bedard pic.twitter.com/v1SXNAdSp8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 8, 2026

This is obviously a huge blow for the Blackhawks, who have been pushing hard to take a step forward in 2026–27. The team notably paid a hefty price to bring Bowen Byram to town and was hoping to finally turn things around in Chicago.

But in Bedard's case, the injury comes at an even worse time, given that he still doesn't have a contract lined up for next season. The young forward will therefore have to negotiate while injured… and having suffered two major shoulder injuries in the last eight months.

Does this make a transition contract more likely than a long-term deal? That's the question.

The good news is that Bedard shouldn't miss too many games. The not-so-good news is that he won't be able to have a normal summer of training… which is obviously not ideal.

More details to come…