Connor Bedard walked away from Blackhawks practice Thursday clutching what appeared to be his left shoulder, and the video out of Chicago is not easy to watch.
BHF, the account run by Blackhawks Focus, posted the clip saying the injury was first reported by Ryan McGregor.
Bedard can be heard in visible pain as he leaves the ice, according to the post, and no severity update has come from the team.
This is a big deal for Chicago. Bedard just wrapped a 69-game season with 30 goals, 45 assists and 75 points, tying for the team lead in production.
He was a minus-18 for the year, and his last ten games told a rougher story: zero goals, eight assists and a minus-14 stretch before the campaign ended.
The Blackhawks finished 29-39-14 for 72 points, ranked 31st in the league overall, a season that leaned hard on Bedard just to stay competitive some nights.
Losing him for any real stretch is like losing your only starting pitcher in July. You might not feel it today, but you will feel it eventually.
A different shoulder, a familiar bad feeling in Chicago
Dr. Harjas Grewal, who posted a reaction to the clip, said he could not tell exactly what happened but flagged it as some kind of left shoulder issue.
He also noted Bedard's injury in December was reportedly to his right shoulder, meaning this would not be a re-injury of the same joint.
"Hopefully it's something mild," Grewal wrote, a sentiment shared across Chicago's fan base within minutes of the video circulating.
You can watch the clip and the reaction here:
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Bedard, 20, is still playing on his entry-level deal at a $950,000 cap hit, an absolute bargain for a player producing at a near point-per-game pace.
Head coach Jeff Blashill and GM Kyle Davidson have not commented publicly on the injury as of Thursday night.
Chicago's front office needs to get ahead of this fast. A vague update on the face of the franchise is not going to cut it for long.
There is no timeline, no diagnosis, and no official word from the Blackhawks yet on how long their franchise center might be out. That silence is going to get louder before it gets quieter.
Are you worried Connor Bedard's shoulder injury could be serious?
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