It’s October 11th, and Connor Bedard is once again on the ice for Blackhawks practice. This time, however, he is wearing a regular jersey and looks to have fewer contact restrictions.
As of today, Bedard is a participant in normal practice once again. It looks as though he is taking contact, as well as taking part in line rushes. According to Scott Powers, however, he isn’t “full go” just yet.
The Blackhawks next game is Tuesday against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins and according to Scott Powers, Jeff Blashill did not rule out Tuesday as a possible return for Bedard.
Blackhawks forward lines with Bedard in practice:
Kantserov – Bedard – Kane
Bertuzzi – Frondell – Teravainen/Nazar
Smith – Greene – Greenway
Moore – Toninato – Donato
With Bedard slotted in to the lineup, things looks much better, and guys fall into their more appropriate places.
There has been a lot of speculation about whether or not Bedard will play with Patrick Kane. If today’s practice lines are any indicator, it looks like Bedard will be centering Kane and Roman Kantserov.
Bedard was asked today about his potential return. According to Scott Powers, Bedard said he is feeling good, but there isn’t a specific game for his return yet. He also added, “I want to play as soon as possible” (via Charlie Roumeliotis on X)
Given that the initial timeline had him returning in November, things look to be progressing well.
The 1-5-0 Blackhawks are desperate for their captain, and superstar forward to return to the lineup in hopes of getting things back on track while there is still time.