It’s official.
When the Blues’ Connor Bedard at the end of Friday night’s game, it didn’t look pretty. The Blackhawks took their time evaluating their superstar forward, ruling him out for Saturday’s game against the Red Wings and promising an update on Monday. We finally got one.
The Blackhawks placed Bedard on injured reserve (not long-term IR) retroactive to Dec. 12. After practice, head coach Jeff Blashill said he “will be reevaluated after the New Year.”
By rule, Bedard must be out for seven days (which would put him back on the ice on Friday), but his return will be later than that. It’s interesting to note, however, that he wasn’t put on long-term injured reserve, which would require him to be out for at least 10 games and 24 days. That tells me he may be back on the ice within 10 games—the Blackhawks wouldn’t want to force him to miss 10 games if he’s healthy before then.
However, there’s also a chance that this is just a move to buy time before the team eventually places him on LTIR. But there’s no reason for the Blackhawks to use LTIR, even if he’s out for a longer period of time. They don’t need the cap space.
It’s important to note that Chicago said there won’t be surgery required, which makes Bedard’s return seem a bit more imminent. Until the Blackhawks say otherwise, this makes it seem like his absence will be around nine games, putting him back around Jan. 3 against the Capitals. A lot could happen between now and then, and there certainly isn’t an exact timetable yet.
Perhaps equally important is whether Team Canada will include Bedard on their Olympic roster. With a reevaluation scheduled for after the New Year, he’ll be sidelined until Canada’s roster is finalized on New Year’s Eve. He was putting up 1.42 points per game before the injury, and as an offensive talent, he certainly deserves to be there, but the question is whether Canada prioritizes his scoring output or goes for a better defensive talent. Bedard won’t be able to make a case for himself until then, which could be bad news for those hoping to see him on the international stage.
With Bedard hitting IR, the Blackhawks recalled defenseman Ethan Del Mastro and goaltender Laurent Brossoit from Rockford. They immediately placed Brossoit on waivers, which seems a bit surprising given the lackluster play from Arvid Soderblom between the pipes recently. I’d assume that Brossoit gets snagged by a goalie-hungry team, but those squads may not want to take on his $3.3 million cap hit for the rest of the season. If no one picks him up, Blashill said Brossoit would be headed back to the IceHogs.
Del Mastro gives Chicago a chance to go back to an 11-7 lineup as the team’s seventh blueliner. He’s a good addition at this point—the Blackhawks are obviously struggling to protect their stars, and he’s a big physical defenseman who will make opposing players think twice before checking.
