Connor Bedard is back on the ice in Chicago, but the Blackhawks still haven’t said he’s ready for the next step.
Bedard skated Monday at the Blackhawks Ice Center, roughly two months after having left shoulder surgery. Fans posted video on X showing him moving on his own and firing off light shots. One clip also included Patrick Kane on the same sheet of ice.
It’s a welcome sight for Chicago, though it doesn’t amount to an official green light. The team has not announced that Bedard has been cleared for training camp or contact.
The surgery came on July 8, after Bedard fell into the boards during an offseason skate in Vancouver on July 2. At the time, team physician Dr. Michael Terry said Bedard was expected to make a full recovery in about four months, a timeline that pointed to early or mid-November and a missed start to the 2026-27 season.
That four-month mark still hasn’t arrived, so Monday’s skate was only one more step in the process. Bedard’s agent, Peter Meehan, said in July that doctors expected a full recovery and that Bedard would push to return as soon as he was cleared.
Bedard’s return to the ice comes after a big summer for the 20-year-old. He signed a five-year extension with a $15 million cap hit and is coming off a season in which he posted career highs with 30 goals, 45 assists and 75 points in 69 games. He missed 12 games that year with a right shoulder injury in December.
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