Connor Bedard needs one final green light to get back on the ice.
The Chicago Blackhawks star has an appointment with a doctor "soon", he told reporters Monday, per Scott Powers of The Athletic.
Head coach Jeff Blashill said Bedard is trending toward playing Tuesday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, per Powers.
Bedard needs clearance to play after undergoing shoulder on July 9. He was injured in July while skating with a group of NHL players in western Canada.
At practice Monday, Bedard was skating on a line with Patrick Kane and Roman Kantserov.
The Blackhawks named Bedard the 37th captain in franchise history and signed him to a five-year, $75-million contract this past summer.
Chicago is off to a 1-5 start without Bedard.
Bedard has been the centrepiece of the Blackhawks since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. He made his anticipated NHL debut that October and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year.
He set career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games in his third NHL season in 2025-26.
Chicago went 29-39-14 last season, an 11-point improvement on the previous year, but still nowhere near playoff contention. The team has finished No. 31 in the NHL each of the last three years.
