Overview
- Video and local reports show Bedard leaving a Burnaby practice on Thursday favoring his left shoulder after a hard fall into the boards, with no official diagnosis or timeline announced.
- The incident recalls a Dec. 12 right-shoulder injury that cost Bedard multiple weeks last season and has prompted immediate durability concern among reporters and team observers.
- Bedard is an unsigned restricted free agent after his entry-level deal expired and sources have said he is seeking top-tier, long-term money in contract talks with Chicago.
- Philadelphia’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Leo Carlsson, which carries an $18 million average annual value, has reset the market and could raise the price Bedard’s camp seeks.
- The injury and the new market reference together could make the Blackhawks more cautious on contract term or AAV, and the next moves to watch are any medical updates and whether negotiations change pace.