Blackhawks Captain Bedard Expected to Make Season Debut Tuesday Against Penguins
Chicago is a city in Cook County, Illinois. Chicago Blackhawks captain Connor Bedard is expected to make his season debut on the night of October 13 at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Head coach Jeff Blashill said on the 12th that Bedard is 'trending in the right direction' toward a return, with the final decision to be made after Tuesday morning's skate.
According to Reuters, the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick injured his left shoulder during an offseason workout in Vancouver on July 2 and underwent surgery a few days later. He began skating with the team on October 5 but wore a non-contact jersey; over the past two days he has taken part in full practices. 'I feel great, everything feels normal,' Bedard said. 'Everyone's comfortable with the physicality and the battles, and I'm excited to get back out there.' A return on Tuesday would come about a month ahead of the original recovery timeline. Bedard is expected to center the top line, with Roman Kantserov on the left wing and Patrick Kane on the right, and to play an important role on the power play. Chicago is off to a 1-5 start and has scored on just one of 14 power plays, so the captain's return is a major boost for the young team. The club signed him to a five-year, $75 million contract extension this summer and named him captain.
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