realgm
Chicago Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard is expected to miss the beginning of next season after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday, the team announced.
Chicago said Bedard should make a full recovery within approximately four months, a timeline that would keep him out for at least the opening month of the 2026-27 campaign.
This marks the league's first 84-game season under the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement, with play starting in late September.
Bedard, who turns 21 on July 17, was hurt during a training session with Kaivo Hockey in Vancouver.
Footage from the workout showed him losing an edge and crashing into the boards before leaving the ice while favoring his shoulder.
The No.
1 overall pick in the 2023 draft and reigning Rookie of the Year from 2023-24, Bedard enters his fourth NHL season.
He paced Chicago with 75 points and 30 goals across 69 games last season.
Bedard has totaled 203 points in 219 career games, though he has yet to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs with the rebuilding franchise.
Chicago finished last season 29-39-14, an 11-point improvement from the prior year.
Bedard remains a restricted free agent after completing his entry-level deal.
General manager Kyle Davidson has declined to publicly discuss contract talks.
Those negotiations could grow more complicated following a recent offer sheet signed by Anaheim's Leo Carlsson with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Carlsson, picked one spot after Bedard in 2023, will earn an $18 million annual salary beginning next season, the highest in league history.