Chicago Blackhawks place rookie center Connor Bedard on IR with a broken jaw

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks placed rookie center Connor Bedard on injured reserve on Saturday with a broken jaw.

Bedard got hurt when he was leveled by New Jersey defenseman Brendan Smith midway through the first period of Friday night’s 4-2 loss to the Devils.

Nick Foligno also went on IR with a fractured left finger, adding another name to Chicago's long list of injured forwards. In desperate need of reinforcements, the Blackhawks acquired forward Rem Pitlick from Pittsburgh for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

The 18-year-old Bedard has been Chicago's best player in his first NHL season, living up to the hype after he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft. Heading into Saturday's action, he was leading all NHL rookies with a team-high 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games.