{"id":910623,"date":"2026-09-30T05:04:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T05:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/910623\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T05:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T05:04:08","slug":"injury-notes-bedard-avalanche-gaudette-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/910623\/","title":{"rendered":"Injury Notes: Bedard, Avalanche, Gaudette \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Their season is off, but there\u2019s no real update on new Chicago Blackhawks captain Connor Bedard<\/a>, general manager Kyle Davidson<\/a> told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Starting tonight against the Golden Knights, it will be the first of more games ahead where the team will miss the young star who has been their leading scorer of each of the past three years. Last week head coach Jeff Blashill<\/a> confirmed<\/a> that the sniper was not close to returning to practice.\u00a0Expected to return sometime in November, Davidson said today that they\u2019ll \u201cprobably\u201d have \u201cnew information\u201d sometime in October.<\/p>\n

Much has transpired since Bedard\u2019s two assist game in the season finale against the Sharks last April. Injuring his left shoulder in early July<\/a> after a freak accident during an off-season skate, by mid-month he received a five-year extension<\/a> worth $15MM per season. Two weeks ago today he was named<\/a> the 37th captain in team history, and oh, if you\u2019re still tracking, also over the summer Patrick Kane<\/a> returned to Chicago<\/a> to team up with the superstar who just turned 21.<\/p>\n

A team spending right up to the cap with sights on the playoffs to send off #88 the right way, a slow start would be understandable without their 1C. Yet by the time Bedard returns later in the fall, the team in a six-year playoff drought will be fully expected to reach a gear not seen in practically a decade. Assuming he cannot return until sometime in mid-November Chicago must find a way to stay afloat through their first 20 games of the season.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere across the league:<\/p>\n

The defending Presidents Trophy winners in Colorado will be missing Logan O\u2019Connor<\/a> and Zachary L\u2019Heureux<\/a>\u00a0in tomorrow\u2019s season opener at Los Angeles, Corey Masisak of the Denver Post reports<\/a>. According to head coach Jared Bednar<\/a>\u00a0the team will roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, the extra being Noah Juulsen<\/a> on the back-end. Acquired<\/a> from Nashville for Jack Drury<\/a> in June, L\u2019Heureux, dealing with a lower-body injury, is a former first rounder (2021) who has been a gritty bottom-six spark plug so far at the highest level. The 23-year-old has 20 points in 87 NHL games, but with 28 points in 30 at the AHL level last year there\u2019s untapped offensive potential which could be unlocked in an environment like Colorado\u2019s. Meanwhile, O\u2019Connor is a name much more familiar to Avalanche fans, a bottom-six mainstay and elite penalty killer over the past several years. Limited to just 13 regular season games last season due to hip surgery<\/a>, the winger is also dealing with a lower-body injury which thankfully appears to only be day-to-day and not related.
\nSan Jose Sharks forward Adam Gaudette<\/a> is moving along in his injury recovery, skating today, as noted by Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News<\/a>. Missing preseason action due to an upper-body injury sustained two weeks ago was costly for the 29-year-old journeyman. Gaudette landed in the AHL four years ago, not looking like he had a meaningful NHL future any longer, only to explode with 44 goals for the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2023-24. Riding that high, the former Canucks fifth rounder notched 19 in Ottawa, enough to earn a two year deal in San Jose worth $2MM per. One of many solid veterans brought in to bridge the gap in their rebuild, Gaudette now finds himself on a team loaded with elite young forwards and several other additions worthy of middle-six duty. It continues down to the fourth line, featuring Kiefer Sherwood<\/a>, a heavy investment of the team to help push them into contention. Able to take draws regularly, Gaudette will hope to be off injured reserve and play again as soon as Saturday against Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

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