Connor Bedard is getting close to a return, and the Chicago Blackhawks could use it in the worst way.
Head coach Jeff Blashill said today that Bedard is “trending” toward playing tomorrow against the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Blackhawks captain has been rehabbing offseason shoulder surgery and still hasn’t made his 2026-27 debut, but the signs have pointed this way for a bit. He was a non-contact participant in practice a week ago, then moved into full contact yesterday.
For a team that sits 30th in the standings with a 1-5-0 record, that’s a massive development. Bedard is the obvious engine in Chicago, its No. 1 center and most gifted player.
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick followed a breakout season last year with stretches this fall where he was battling fellow young star Macklin Celebrini for the league scoring lead. A shoulder issue sent him to IR last December and knocked him off that pace, but he still finished with 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games.
Now the Blackhawks need him back in the middle of everything, and they’ll be hoping his arrival jolts the group into a much-needed turnaround.
Elsewhere in the Central Division, Winnipeg may have to wait a little longer for Josh Morrissey. Scott Arniel said Morrissey is still day-to-day and questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild, per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press.
Morrissey missed Friday’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks with an upper-body injury, and his absence showed. Neal Pionk filled in as Winnipeg’s top defenseman and logged just over 25 minutes, but the night didn’t go smoothly.
Morrissey’s value to the Jets is hard to overstate. He’s their clear No. 1 defenseman and handles a heavy load in every situation, so his status looms large as Winnipeg tries to build on its early-season momentum.
Dallas also got some encouraging injury news. Glen Gulutzan said today, via Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News, that Radek Faksa and Joel Kiviranta are both expected to be available for tomorrow’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.
Kiviranta has been out for Dallas’ last two-game road trip because of a lower-body injury. Faksa suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday and missed the loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Faksa is the Stars’ settled fourth-line center, while Kiviranta has been competing with Colin Blackwell and Oskar Back for a spot in the bottom six.
In Other News...
Oilers Start Is Raising One Big Lineup Question
The Oilers unbeaten start has changed the conversation around their forward mix, with Mike Babcock already signaling that Zach Hyman should be back soon and rookie Owen Michaels potentially earning more ice time. It is the kind of early-season performance that forces a coach to keep rechecking the board, especially when a team keeps stacking points and the lineup begins to tilt toward tougher decisions rather than easier ones.
For Winnipeg, the bigger ripple is in the background noise around the roster, because Connor Hellebuycks name has again surfaced in trade chatter. Elliotte Friedman has pushed back on the Rangers speculation, and the practical hurdles are part of why it does not line up cleanly for either side, which leaves the Jets with the more familiar reality of having to sort through what they would even want back in any serious goalie discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Get A Brief Reset Before A Weekend That Suddenly Matters
After a punishing run of five games in eight days, the Jets finally got back on the ice Monday with a little breathing room before the schedule tightens again. Winnipeg is using the brief reset to prepare for Minnesota, and the mood around the organization is a little broader than just the NHL club, with the Manitoba Moose also back at work after a two-game road swing that ended with a loss and a win before a weekend set against Dallas.
There was some scattered positive news beyond the main roster, too, as Jets prospects Owen Martin, Zach Wooten and Alexandre Taillefer each chipped in offense in recent CHL and NCAA action. For a team trying to manage the wear and tear of a heavy stretch while keeping an eye on the pipeline, those small developments matter, even if the bigger question still sits in front of Winnipeg as it heads into a game that suddenly carries more weight. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Practice Just Raised A Big Question Before Minnesota
After a two-day break, the Jets were back on the ice in Winnipeg on Monday with a few lineup clues beginning to emerge before their meeting with Minnesota. Josh Morrissey, listed as day-to-day after the injury he sustained against Colorado, was seen working with skills coach Matt Larke, a small but notable sign as the team tries to sort out its blue-line picture. Elias Salomonsson also took a step forward by ditching his non-contact jersey, even if he still stayed out of full-contact work.
Up front, the lineup tinkering continued as Winnipeg mixed things up at practice. Nino Niederreiter rejoined the group while Brad Lambert slid into the 13th forward role, giving the Jets a little more flexibility but also leaving one of the clubs biggest questions hanging heading into the Minnesota game: just how close they are to getting the full regular look back together. [Read more 🡒]