By: Justin Gincauskas

A day after he was named an All-Star, Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard suffered a fractured jaw in Chicago’s 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils Friday. The Blackhawks made the announcement Saturday as they placed Bedard on injured reserve.

Bedard, the number one overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, suffered a fractured jaw after taking a hit from New Jersey’s Brendan Smith midway through the first period. He immediately grabbed his jaw while getting up and heading to the locker room. He did not return to the game.

As Bedard skated off the ice, many of his teammates came to his defense, most notably Nick Foligno. Following a fight against Smith in the second period, Foligno left Friday’s game with a fractured finger, and the Blackhawks also placed him on injured reserve.

Both Coaches Comment On The Hit

After the game, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson explained the hit, which he believed was not a dirty play.

“I didn’t really see it too many times yet,” Richardson said. “I just saw it quick on the bench. I don’t know if it was dirty. I think Connor was reaching for a puck and didn’t see him because he was behind one of their players. I don’t think he stepped up on him. I think he just kind of stopped and Connor kind of ran head-first into him.”

Devils head coach Lindy Ruff also believed that, although it had an unfortunate result, the hit by Smith was clean.

“It’s unfortunate where he got him,” Ruff said. “You’ve got to be aware. There was no intent or anything. That was just a solid hit.”

Bedard has been the lone bright spot for the struggling Blackhawks this season. The 18-year-old has 15 goals and 33 points this year, which is 11 more points than any other player on the team. He leads all rookies in goals, assists, and points. Bedard was one of the 32 players named to the NHL All-Star Game when the league unveiled the list on Thursday.

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