Connor Bedard's first All-Star Game appearance will have to wait.
The Chicago Blackhawks phenom underwent surgery to repair his fractured jaw and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks, the team announced.
Bedard was initially given a timeline of four-to-six weeks after suffering the injury Friday against the New Jersey Devils. He was the recipient of a hard open-ice hit by Brendan Smith.
NOBODY TOUCHES BEDARD 😡 pic.twitter.com/wX8wgRC7kS
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 6, 2024
All-Star Weekend takes place Feb. 1-3 in Toronto, so Bedard won't be able to attend barring a miraculous recovery.
Bedard paces all NHL rookies with 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games. He also leads Blackhawks skaters in both categories.
The NHL is typically insistent on having an All-Star representative from all 32 teams. If the league continues to enforce this, someone such as Philipp Kurashev, Jason Dickinson, Nick Foligno, Seth Jones, or Petr Mrazek could be in line for an unexpected All-Star appearance.
