Connor Bedard is expected to make his delayed debut Tuesday night as Chicago captain against the visiting St. Louis Blues.
Bedard said he was “pumped” to play when he addressed reporters hours before the game’s opening faceoff.
Bedard agreed to a five-year contract worth $75 million US in July. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft became the second-youngest captain in the history of the Original Six franchise on Sept. 15.
But he missed Chicago’s training camp and first six games of the season with a shoulder injury sustained while training in the off-season that required surgery.
“It’s crazy it’s only been six games,” Bedard said. “When you miss camp and you miss pre-season and everything, it feels like a lot longer. “Just to be back with the guys and do what I love, it’s exciting,” he added. “Looking forward to getting back out there.”
Bedard to miss start of the season after shoulder surgery
The 21-year-old centre from North Vancouver, B.C., has 75 goals and 203 points over 219 NHL games.
Chicago is off to a 1-5-0 start to the season without its captain.
Carolina Hurricanes captain and reigning playoff MVP Jordan Staal is out one to two months with a partially torn calf muscle, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said Tuesday.
The native of Thunder Bay, Ont., was hurt during pre-game warmup Sunday at Philadelphia, according to Brind’Amour.
“It was just something he did in warmup: a freaky thing, but it is what it is,” Brind’Amour said following his team’s morning skate. “Not good news there, but we’ve had a lot of injuries over the years and we’re just going to have to keep figuring it out.”
Staal, 37, oldest player to be named NHL MVP
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The defending Stanley Cup champions are now minus one of their most important centres while already missing winger Seth Jarvis for the start of the season following shoulder surgery.
Staal won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his contributions on Carolina’s title run, which included scoring six goals in the final, winning 55 per cent of his faceoffs and playing lockdown defence against some of the NHL’s top players.
“He gets the tough matchups every night,” Brind’Amour said. “No hiding that now. We’re all going to have to step up a little more with those two guys out, in particular.”
Jesperi Kotkaniemi figures to take Staal’s spot in the lineup, with the Hurricanes expected to call up a forward from the minors.
“When you have guys out that we have — high-end top players that do so much for your team — you’re not replacing them with one guy,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s kind of sharing the duties. With Jarvy out, we’ve had to do that, and now with Jordo out we’re going to have to figure that out, as well.”
