Connor Bedard is getting close enough to feel real now.
The Chicago Blackhawks captain has made a noticeable push over the last week in his recovery from offseason left shoulder surgery, and the signs keep pointing toward a season debut that’s right around the corner. He’s not there yet, but he’s clearly moving in that direction.
Bedard’s progression has been steady. Last Monday, he took a significant step by leaving solo work behind and joining his teammates for practice for the first time since his July 8 surgery.
He wore a black non-contact jersey, skated through a few rush drills and then exited the session. By Saturday’s morning skate, he was taking faceoffs.
On Sunday, he ditched the non-contact jersey and got close to full participation.
Then on Monday, he was back with the group in the same fashion, centering the top line in rushes and working the left circle on the top power-play unit. For a second straight day, his linemates were Patrick Kane and Roman Kantserov, a setup that seems to be pointing toward what Chicago’s top forward group will look like once Bedard gets the final green light.
That green light still hasn’t come from his surgeon.
Visually, Bedard has looked like himself for a while now, especially with his wrist shots and slap shots back at full strength. But game clearance remains the final hurdle, and Bedard said his next doctor’s appointment will be “soon”, though he didn’t give a date. He also didn’t offer much when asked about his return timeline.
“I’ll be vague and tell you guys as little as possible,” Bedard said with a smirk, half-jokingly. “As I keep saying, day by day.
I want to play as soon as possible. Whenever that is, we’ll see.
Just keep grinding each day and getting it right.”
His coach wasn’t nearly as coy.
Jeff Blashill said Bedard is trending toward being a coach’s decision against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, which was enough to set off plenty of buzz around Blackhawks circles. Blashill left the door open while still sounding optimistic.
“I would say he’s certainly trending toward being a coach’s decision tomorrow,” Blashill said. “We have a skate [tomorrow] morning, but he’s certainly trending towards having a possibility to play.”
Tuesday would mark three months and 13 days since Bedard had surgery after falling into the boards during offseason training in Vancouver. The initial recovery estimate was four months, which had pointed him toward an early-to-mid November return. That timeline hasn’t officially changed, but the latest movement makes it clear he’s ahead of schedule.
Even if he does get the nod against the Penguins and Sidney Crosby, his childhood idol, it would come without the benefit of exhibition games and with only limited practice time behind him. Bedard hasn’t played in game action since last April, nearly six months ago.
Blashill said he believes Bedard is ready physically and mentally, but he also stressed that the Blackhawks can’t expect one player to fix everything on his own.
“He looks ready. Mentally, I think he’s ready.
The one thing I would say, he’s missed training camp and the first part of the season. As a hockey team, we can’t expect him to come in and put us on his back… It’s not easy to jump in and be great.
I hope he can jump in and be great, but we’ll see.”
Chicago could certainly use the lift. The Blackhawks are 1-5-0 through their first six games, and Bedard’s return would immediately give the offense a different gear. The team has scored 12 goals so far, with two coming into empty nets, and the timing could also help Patrick Kane, who has just one assist and seven shots on goal over the last five games.
Kane made it clear he sees what Bedard can bring.
“It’s definitely a boost to the whole team,” Kane said on Monday about Bedard’s return. “Just seeing what he’s capable of doing out there just in practice, it’s high-level skill, the way he attacks, the way he can make plays off attacking, he’s a special player, and he’s a big part of our team, so it’s nice to see him back.”
Bedard, meanwhile, sounded like a player who’s been waiting a long time for exactly this chance. Asked about playing alongside Kane for the first time, he made no secret of how much that means to him.
Connor Bedard on playing with Patrick Kane: "I've been watching Kane since I was 5 years old. That's pretty cool to play with him and see him up close.
The way he can think the game, the way he makes little passes. Honestly for me, I just want to get him the puck and get open as…
Whether Tuesday night becomes his first appearance of the season won’t be known until the Blackhawks’ morning skate. But the message is pretty clear: Bedard is getting close, and Chicago is inching toward the return of its captain.
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