Islanders disappointed that Chicago's Connor Bedard didn't play against them because of fractured jaw
Chicago center Connor Bedard warms up before the team's NHL game against the Predators on Jan. 2 in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: AP/George Walker IV
CHICAGO — More than a few Islanders stood on the bench at Chicago’s practice rink on Thursday watching as wunderkind Connor Bedard sped around the ice with a handful of teammates — healthy scratches and fellow injured players — a full face shield protecting his fractured jaw.
The Islanders concluded a four-game road trip against Central Division-trailing Chicago at United Center on Friday night, and there certainly was some disappointment that their first firsthand look at the NHL’s No. 1 overall pick in game action would have to wait.
For now, that practice glimpse of Bedard’s boundless skill will have to suffice until Chicago visits UBS Arena on April 2.
“Yeah, sure,” Kyle Palmieri said. “There’s a lot of hype around him. He got off to a great start before he got hurt. He’s a good young player. It’s one of those things where he’s going to have a long, successful career, so I’m sure we’ll cross paths eventually.”
Following his legendary junior hockey career with Regina of the Western Hockey League, Bedard, 18, was eagerly gobbled up by Chicago last summer after it won the NHL Draft Lottery. That included 71 goals and 72 assists in 57 games last season. He also led Team Canada to its second straight IIHF World Junior Championship with nine goals and 14 assists in seven games and was named the tournament’s MVP.
That success quickly translated to the NHL as Bedard became a one-man highlight reel for a rebuilding squad plagued by injuries.
He had 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games to earn an All-Star selection before fracturing his jaw in a collision with the Devils’ Brendan Smith on Jan. 5. Bedard remarkably resumed skating just 10 days later, seven days after undergoing surgery.
“You hear all the hype about him and you see him on the highlights,” Bo Horvat said. “He’s done a heck of a job so far in his first year, not only playing the game but dealing with all the media and all the hype. I respect him a lot for that. It can’t be easy as a young kid like that to come in and do what he’s done.
“To not play against him, you want to play against the best every night. He’s one of the better players on their team. That’s disappointing but, hopefully, a speedy recovery and we get to play against him at home.”
Horvat’s linemate, Mathew Barzal, has gotten to see more of Bedard than many of the other Islanders have.
Bedard, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, was 12 when he first met Barzal, eight years his senior and from nearby Coquitlam, B.C.
The two continue to skate with each other a couple of times a week during the summers when they’re both back home.
“He’s a great kid,” Barzal said. “Super high-end talent. He’s going to be a great player in this league. I talk to him once in a while just to see what’s up. I follow him pretty closely. Always kind of checking in on how he’s doing stat-wise.”
Barzal said that while most of the focus is on Bedard’s elite shot, “He’s got a really long stick that allows him to do certain things with deception.”
He added, “I would like to have had him out here. You don’t want to see a guy like that get hurt on a hit like that. I was looking forward to it, to be honest with you. Seeing him kind of grow up, happy for him that he’s just been lighting it up so extensively in junior and in the NHL now.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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