Bedard resumes skating for Blackhawks after fracturing jaw

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard skated Monday for the first time since fracturing his jaw Jan. 5, but the Chicago Blackhawks rookie center’s timeline of 6-8 weeks until returning remains unchanged.

“I don’t know how they check that,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “They do a scan or something. I know they do that with other bone breaks, to see if there’s cloudiness. But with the plate, I think there’s a specific timeline, so they’re probably going to stick close to it.” 

Bedard sustained the injury when he was checked by New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith in the slot in the first period of Chicago’s 4-2 loss. Bedard left the ice with his hand at his mouth.

The 18-year-old, who was selected by Chicago with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, was on the ice Monday at the Blackhawks practice facility with forwards Nick Foligno, who fractured his left ring finger in that game against the Devils, and Samuel Savoie, who fractured his right femur in a preseason game against the Minnesota Wild on Sept. 30. Foligno is week to week, and there is no timetable for Savoie’s return.

Bedard, who was wearing a full-face shield, skated and did some light shooting for about 45 minutes.

“He’s been begging, and they (doctors) said it’s OK, but he’s been getting specific instructions,” Richardson said. “He’s not allowed to take slap shots, so he’s not allowed to really clench right now. If they see that, they may pull a rug out from under him.

“But I think he’s just eager and it’ll be good for him to get moving. He just has to be very careful, [with the] early stages of clenching. I don’t even know if he can put anything in there because it’s not completely wired shut, but I think it’s elastic bands on it that keep it so there’s a minimal amount of movement.”

Bedard leads the Blackhawks and all NHL rookies with 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 39 games. On Jan. 4, he was named to the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game , which will be Feb. 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Richardson said he was unsure if Bedard would attend the All-Star Weekend festivities if he’s unable to play. That would be four weeks after his injury.

The Blackhawks (13-29-2) are 2-3-0 without Bedard and last in the Central Division following a 2-1 shootout win against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.

“He’s been in the gym, he’s obviously back skating,” Chicago defenseman Kevin Korchinski said. “I didn’t even know he was going to skate today, but he’s itching to get back.

“Once he gets back, he’ll be fresh, he’ll be ready to go. It’s probably the longest break he’s had off hockey for a while, so, yeah, he’ll be excited to go and be humming out there.”