Chicago Blackhawks superstar rookie Connor Bedard will be out indefinitely after suffering a fractured jaw in Friday’s 4-2 road loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Bedard was injured after taking a hit up high from New Jersey defenseman Brendan Smith during the contest. The first overall pick of last year’s NHL Draft was placed on the injured reserve and is expected to be out four-to-six weeks.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Bedard was regarded as the best prospect since Connor McDavid, who went first overall to the Edmonton Oilers in 2015. Bedard has lived up to the hype in the early going 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games.
The Blackhawks are last in the Central Division with a 11-26-2 record entering the weekend. Bedard is the team’s leading scorer by a country mile, with Philipp Kurashev a distant second (22 points on the year).
Chicago hosts the Calgary Flames at the United Center on Sunday.
