Blackhawks News
Blackhawks Practice: Positive Signs For Bedard’s Return, Nazar Skating
Tuesday’s practice session at Fifth Third Arena, which the team announced will be rebranded to the Blackhawks Ice Center in late January, opened with two rather promising signs.
Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar were skating together ahead of practice, both wearing grey non-contact sweaters. Bedard has been out since Dec. 12 with what’s reportedly a separated shoulder. Nazar has been out since Dec. 20 and is believed to have suffered a broken jaw.
Bedard was seen skating for the first time since getting hurt last Monday, shortly before the New Year. He didn’t join the rest of the team for that practice session and couldn’t shoot the puck, but was at least healthy enough to suit up and zip around the ice for a little while.
However, during Tuesday’s practice, Bedard graduated to shooting for the first time, as he was spotted rifling the puck on net seemingly at full force. Bedard also partially participated in a few drills along with his teammates, although he still couldn’t take on any contact. He exited the ice roughly halfway through the session.
Head coach Jeff Blashill sent some mixed signals when providing a slight update on Bedard ahead of Sunday’s game against Vegas. Blashill said that the star forward is expected to return before the Olympic break, which begins for Chicago on Feb. 5.
Considering Bedard was set to be re-evaluated by the team in the first week of 2026, most already figured he would be able to return before NHL players depart for Milan, Italy. That comment from Blashill led to some concern that Bedard wouldn’t be back as soon as initially expected.
But Tuesday’s developments indicated the opposite, as Bedard was buzzing around the ice and didn’t appear to be holding back. His skating looked sharp, and his shot looked powerful as ever.
After practice, Bedard spoke with the media and shared some insight on his recovery. While he wouldn’t provide a potential date to return, he seemed exceedingly thrilled about how his shoulder is feeling right now.
“I feel good,” Bedard said. “I feel really good. Obviously, [got] out with the guys a little bit today. Kind of just keep ramping up. It feels really good, though.”
Blashill also commented on Bedard’s status on Tuesday. This time, he painted a clearer picture of when the 2023 top overall pick could be back.
“It’s great to have him back out there,” Blashill said. “We’ll keep progressing. It’s great to see him, and great to see the jump he has… he won’t play tomorrow [vs. St. Louis], then we’ll take it day by day from there.”
For Nazar, it was the first time that he’s been seen skating at Fifth Third Arena since taking a puck to the face against the Ottawa Senators two and a half weeks ago. Nazar rocked the full-face shield to protect his jaw on Tuesday.
The 2022 first-round selection (No. 13 overall) skated around with Bedard, tossing the puck back and forth with one another while each taking some shots. Unlike Bedard, though, Nazar didn’t stay on the ice and went back to the dressing room as practice began. That’s not surprising, considering he still cannot take contact and is just now resuming hockey activities.
Clearly, Nazar is still a little behind Bedard in the recovery process. Blashill said the same on Tuesday, and he still didn’t offer a timeline update on Nazar’s injury.
“Good for Frank to be skating. He’s further away than Connor, but it’s a step in the right direction. It started with eating solid food, and now it’s moved towards this. It’s good.”
Seeing the two centers skating together again is undoubtedly great news for the Blackhawks, who’ve been playing solid hockey over the last week to get back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
With a 4-1-1 record in the last six games, Chicago is just four points back of the final wildcard playoff spot. Considering Bedard could be ready to rejoin the group in the not-so-distant future, there’s still plenty of time for the Blackhawks to make a charge for the postseason.
After all, they were right in contention until Bedard and Nazar both went down eight days apart from one another.
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