Chicago Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard has undergone successful jaw surgery following a hit from NJDevils player Brendan Smith and could miss up to two months of play. Despite the surgery, Bedard is set to miss at least 16 games, a significant absence for a rookie, as no NHL rookie has missed that many games and still won the Calder Trophy in over 40 years. Remarkably, just one week post-operation, Bedard was seen in full gear and a non-contact jersey, skating on his own. His teammate Kevin Korchinski expressed surprise at Bedard's quick return to the ice, saying, "I didn't even know he was going to skate today. He's itching to get back. It's probably the longest break he's had off hockey for a while." Although Bedard is making a surprising recovery, his timeline for return remains at six to eight weeks, and he was spotted practicing with a full cage to protect his jaw.
Connor Bedard returned to the ice on Monday, just seven days after jaw surgery. Despite his quick return, Bedard's six-to-eight-week timeline is likely unaffected. https://t.co/zTbwwVJu84
Connor Bedard gets back on the ice — with a cage protecting his broken jaw — 7 days after the Chicago Blackhawks star had surgery https://t.co/7sjtwCGnp5
Blackhawks star rookie Connor Bedard returned to the ice 10 days after fracturing his jaw, but his timeline for return is still set at 6-8 weeks. https://t.co/HFw1KO5MNu
#Blackhawks' Connor Bedard makes surprise appearance on the ice a week after jaw surgery 👀 https://t.co/bHHZT8t2VC
"I didn't even know he was going to skate today. He's itching to get back. It's probably the longest break he's had off hockey for a while. #Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard back on the ice a week after jaw surgery: https://t.co/oOyRIpjYY3
Kevin Korchinski on Connor Bedard skating a week after jaw surgery: "I didn't even know he was going to skate today. He's itching to get back. It's probably the longest break he's had off hockey for a while." #Blackhawks https://t.co/FajMfJahFe
Connor Bedard is a freak. He had surgery on his fractured jaw exactly one week ago. #Blackhawks https://t.co/jaehscJBoM
Connor Bedard cannot be kept off the ice for long. Just seven days after surgery, he’s skating with Nick Foligno and Samuel Savoie after Blackhawks practice, just wearing a full cage: https://t.co/BFFilNJUGs
Connor Bedard is getting ready to hit the ice in a non-contact jersey one week after undergoing surgery to repair his jaw. He’s wearing a face shield. #Blackhawks https://t.co/yPZ0Y8P8Kk
Connor Bedard is in full gear right now inside the locker room. It looks like he’s going to skate on his own in a non-contact jersey. Wow. #Blackhawks
Connor Bedard could miss up to two months after jaw surgery, the Chicago Blackhawks announced Wednesday. https://t.co/Jax7lig2h0
Connor Bedard is set to miss at least 16 games with his jaw injury. No NHL rookie has missed that many games and still won the Calder Trophy in 40+ years. But I think Bedard still has a very good chance. Here's why: https://t.co/wNHjgo7qJp
According to a report, #Blackhawks Connor Bedard has successful jaw surgery following #NJDevils Brendan Smith hit. More⤵️ https://t.co/7QEO9hSVqP