Jeff Blashill shares even worse news regarding Connor Bedard.

Things have gone from bad to worse rather quickly in Chicago.

Earlier this morning we reported on the first official update regarding Chicago Blackhawks star forward Connor Bedard, with the Blackhawks announcing that Bedard has been placed on injured reserve. Injured reserve means that a player must remain out for a period of at least 7 days, but we now know that the reality of the situation is actually much worse.

On Monday, Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill spoke to members of the media regarding Bedard's injury and the news from Blashill was considerably worse than the official announcement would leave you to believe. Despite not putting Bedard on long term injured reserve, it sounds like he is going to be out for quite some time.

According to Blashill, Bedard will remain out of the lineup until at least the New Year at which point he will need to be reevaluated. That very much sounds like a long term injury from my perspective, which is a disaster on several levels. Blashill added that there is a belief that Bedard will not need surgery at this time, but the fact that it even remains a possibility is again not a good sign from my perspective.

Bedard will of course be unable to play for the Blackhawks during this time and you have to wonder how that might impact his chances of making Team Canada's roster for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Bedard was playing in a manner that made him undeniable this season, and I have to hope that this injury won't derail the momentum that he was building for himself when it comes to earning a spot on Team Canada's roster.

Stay tuned for more updates.