The Chicago Blackhawks named Connor Bedard the 38th captain in franchise history ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season, even though they knew the 21-year-old would be sidelined on opening night against the Vegas Golden Knights and likely even longer.
Bedard is out to start the 2026-27 NHL campaign as he is still rehabbing from offseason surgery on his left shoulder. The Blackhawks‘ star was injured while practicing back in his hometown of North Vancouver, British Columbia, and had to undergo a medical procedure.
According to Chicago’s original timeline, Bedard was set to be out for a four-month period, meaning he’d miss the first month of the regular season. However, Bedard has only sent out positive signs and made progress since. Bedard has joined the Blackhawks, though Jeff Blashill set the record straight with a clear injury update. He is with the squad in Las Vegas ahead of the Golden Knights matchup, but he won’t play or even get anywhere near the ice.
For the time being, Bedard will be spending quality time with his teammates on the road and building chemistry with them—but strictly off the ice. The Blackhawks have yet to clear Bedard to return to team practices, and they appear in no hurry to do so, even if the young star is proving to be inching closer to 100 percent. And even if he’s openly admitting he’d like to be on the ice as soon as possible, that’s exactly what Bedard did when he let the Blackhawks know how he feels about being sidelined.
Injury Update on Connor Bedard ❤️ pic.twitter.com/v1SXNAdSp8
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 8, 2026
Blackhawks won’t rush Bedard back to the lineup
Chicago has taken risks with Bedard before, rushing him back, and they won’t do it again. The offseason injury taught the Hawks a lesson they won’t want to learn again. With no updates made to Bedard’s injury timeline, Blackhawks fans should expect Bedard to still miss the first month of the regular season, likely returning to the lineup in late October or November.
In the meantime, they will keep coming across videos and posts of Bedard’s progress in his surgery rehab, but that doesn’t mean he’ll make his season debut soon. Not unless Blashill and the Blackhawks say otherwise. So far, they haven’t steered away from the original plan.
Who will replace Bedard?
With Bedard out of the lineup to start a crucial 2026-27 NHL season, Blashill is trusting rookie center Roman Kantserov to anchor the Hawks’ top forward line. When Chicago takes on last season’s Stanley Cup runner-ups at T-Mobile Arena, Kantserov will play alongside Oliver Moore and Patrick Kane.
Key takeaways
- Connor Bedard was named captain of Chicago despite his left shoulder surgery recovery.
- A four-month recovery timeline is expected to keep him out through October.
- Rookie center Roman Kantserov will anchor Chicago’s top forward line in his absence.
