What Can Blackhawks Fans Expect During Connor Bedard’s Absence?

The Chicago Blackhawks had a curveball thrown at them when Connor Bedard went down at a practice in Vancouver. Bedard got up and was gripping his left shoulder as he skated off the ice. It was later announced that he underwent successful surgery on his left shoulder in July and was given a four-month return timeline, scheduling him to return in November. Even though he’s back out on the ice skating and shooting lightly, we still don’t know if he’s ahead of the timeline or not.

This is a massive blow for the Blackhawks, as Bedard, who signed a $75 million contract over the next five years, has been sidelined for the first month and some change of the regular season. With him out, what’s expected of the Blackhawks in that timeframe, and what needs to be done to stay competitive? 

Who Needs to Step Up?

Bedard is the most important player on the Blackhawks — there’s no debate — he’s the franchise guy. But when you dig deeper, the Hawks are losing their top-line center, their best scorer is leaving the power play, and the next potential captain of the team is gone, and it may leave a bit of a leadership gap as well. All of that needs to be filled to the best of everyone’s ability during his absence. 

One player who needs to step up is Frank Nazar. Nazar, 22 years old, is kicking off his seven-year, $46.2 million contract this upcoming season. In the 2025-26 campaign, he had a career-high 41 points in 66 games. He has a ton of talent, but he struggles to stay healthy. Nazar is expected to get the jump to the first line in Bedard’s absence, and after two injury-filled, somewhat lackluster seasons, he’s looking to break out and earn his long-term deal. 

Anton Frondell ranks among Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone as one of the best prospects in the league. He’s the last top-five draft pick the Blackhawks have had, and there’s no doubt that he can be a top guy in Chicago. Frondell played in 12 NHL contests towards the end of the last campaign, finished as a point-per-game player, had chemistry with everyone, and even showed he could play the center position. 

Two veterans on the team who need to step up in terms of leadership are Bowen Byram and Patrick Kane. While they both just got to the organization, one brand new and one returning, the team is excited to have them and will undoubtedly be looking in their direction. Byram was brought in to be the future number-one defenseman, and the Blackhawks paid two premiums for him in both assets and dollars to show it. Kane was given a large two-year contract to come and help the kids with the transition into the NHL and to be a voice in the locker room. Both of them need to fill in that role. 

How Should the Blackhawks Do? 

Everyone in Chicago knows just how important Bedard is to this hockey team, and not having him can derail things fast. The Blackhawks will be without Bedard until Oct. 31, 14 games. If he’s out until mid-November, that’s another six games; that’s possibly 20 games, 24% of the season without him. 

Unfortunately, the Blackhawks have no easy entry into the season. They start off on Sept. 29 against the Vegas Golden Knights, who got to the Stanley Cup Final last season, and then play two teams who just previously made the playoffs, the Utah Mammoth and Buffalo Sabres; all of those contests are on the road. A couple of other notable games are when they face the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 10, and the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 23; they’re in the United Center for both. 

Last season, the Blackhawks were in a playoff spot all the way up to Thanksgiving. Bedard was up there with Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini, yo-yoing back and forth for the points lead in the NHL; Bedard was playing the best hockey of his life. Then, he got injured, and the domino effect started, as everything tumbled downhill. Chicago ended up with the fourth overall pick. They’re a completely different, worse team without him, which is a good thing as it shows Bedard’s value. But that cannot happen again. 

If the Blackhawks can take what they learned from not having Bedard in the lineup and apply it, they may not be in as big of trouble. They should at the very least be competitive, and should be around a wild card spot by the time he comes back. There need to be steps forward taken by the young guns, and players will need to step up, but they genuinely seem ready for the challenge and are sick of losing. If that’s truly the case, they’ll perform well enough so that by the time Bedard comes back, he can pick it up and propel them as close to a playoff spot as he can.