We have a Connor Bedard update.
It’s not good.
He’s been placed on injured reserve with a fractured jaw, per a statement just released by the Blackhawks late Saturday morning:
The injury happened during Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, when defenseman Brendan Smith hit Bedard while the latter was attempting to enter the zone with the puck. Bedard immediately skated to the bench and headed down the tunnel into the locker room and did not return to the game.
Here’s another look at the hit:
Foligno later fought Brendan Smith in that game as retribution for the hit and that was also Foligno’s final participation in the game, with the fractured finger that sent him to injured reserve likely occurring during that scrap.
This is probably the best way to summarize the Blackhawks’ current plight:
For a possible timeline of Bedard’s absence from the lineup, here’s a comparison that Sun-Times reporter Ben Pope came up with:
That would keep Bedard out until, roughly, mid-February.
Happy 2024, everyone.