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Bedard, who turns 21 on July 17, got hurt while skating with a
group of NHL players last week in western Canada. It's a major
blow for a Blackhawks team trying to emerge from a painful
rebuilding process.
Bedard set career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games
in his third NHL season. He missed 12 games after he hurt his
right shoulder on a draw during a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Dec.
12.
“He’s so important to our team,” general manager Kyle Davidson
said in April. “He took such a big step forward this year in
every facet.”
Bedard is a restricted free agent, and it remains to be seen if
the injury has any effect on the negotiations for his next
contract. He missed nearly six weeks of his rookie season with a
broken jaw.
Chicago went 29-39-14 last season, an 11-point improvement and
still nowhere near playoff contention. It has finished No. 31 in
the NHL each of the past three years.
Defenseman Bowen Byram was acquired in a trade with Buffalo on
June 23, and the Blackhawks signed forward Cole Smith and
defenseman Ian Cole on the first day of NHL free agency.
Bedard reached out to Byram, Smith and Cole after they were
brought in by the team.
“Obviously a superb young talent,” Cole said Wednesday when
asked about sharing the ice with Bedard. “Unfortunately, yeah,
it sounds like it’s going to be a little later than originally
anticipated, but you know he seems like a great guy.”
The Blackhawks haven’t made a postseason appearance since the
NHL used an expanded playoff format after the 2020 season was
affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bedard has been the centerpiece of the team since he was the No.
1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He made his anticipated NHL
debut that October and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s
rookie of the year. He had 23 goals and 44 assists while
appearing in all 82 games in his second season.
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