Connor Bedard back in contact practice for the Blackhawks

Six days ago Bedard was leaving the ice the moment contact drills started. Sunday, the jersey was gone.

Ben Pope

@BenPopeCST

Connor Bedard is practicing *without* a non-contact jersey for the Blackhawks today 👀 t.co/w1L6d8xdS4

That's the jump that matters. Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder on July 8, and the first estimate was about 4 months. He rejoined the team on October 5 in a non-contact sweater, took shots and ran line rushes, then left once the hitting started. Blashill said flat out that day that he wasn't cleared for contact. Less than a week later he was doing light contact work against Bowen Byram and skating a full practice.

He also wasn't parked on a fourth line to ease in. The practice lines had him in the middle between Kantserov and Kane, so the top spot was clearly waiting for him.

Ben Pope

@BenPopeCST

Blackhawks lines in practice today: Kantserov-Bedard-Kane Bertuzzi-Frondell-Teravainen Smith-Greene-Greenway Moore-Toninato-Donato Lardis Byram-Levshunov Vlasic-Cole Kaiser-Rinzel Korchinski-Del Mastro

Chicago needs him back badly. The Blackhawks started 0-3 without him, scored 7 goals in those games and went 0-for-7 on the power play. Bedard is the guy that power play is built around. Last season he had 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games, and he's 21 years old and already wearing the C. Without him, this offence has nothing to run through.

Bedard sounded like someone who trusts the shoulder again, and he made it pretty clear the waiting is getting old.

Ben Pope

@BenPopeCST

Connor Bedard: "Everyone was confident with the contact aspect and getting in a full skate and that unpredictability of what's going to happen out there. I feel really confident in it, and I think they do as well to let me do that. Just hope to keep getting that exposure, and obviously want to play as soon as possible."

Ben Pope@BenPopeCST

Connor Bedard is practicing *without* a non-contact jersey for the Blackhawks today 👀 t.co/w1L6d8xdS4

"Want to play as soon as possible" is about as subtle as Bedard gets. Still, the player and the team doctors don't always agree on timing, and Blashill was careful not to promise a date.

Ben Pope

@BenPopeCST

Jeff Blashill said Connor Bedard will have a doctor appt sometime this week to determine when he returns.

So the doctor's visit is the next thing to watch. Chicago plays Pittsburgh on Tuesday, and nobody is saying whether that's realistic. Going from a no-contact jersey to full practice in under a week is a great sign, though, and if the doctor signs off this week, Bedard could beat that 4-month estimate. Until then, Hawks fans are going to be refreshing the practice reports every morning.