Connor Bedard Stays Out as Blackhawks Lose Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Mangiapane

The Chicago Blackhawks head to UBS Arena on Thursday night (7:30 p.m. ET) without three of their top-nine forwards. Captain Connor Bedard remains on the injured non-roster list while he recovers from July surgery on his left shoulder, and there is still no firm return date. Andrew Mangiapane was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, retroactive to Sept. 29, with a lower-body injury that has him week to week. Teuvo Teravainen, hurt in Tuesday's home opener, did not travel to New York and will miss the game against the Islanders.

Dominic Toninato was recalled from AHL Rockford in the corresponding move for Mangiapane. Coach Jeff Blashill also indicated Teravainen may be doubtful for Saturday's game at Carolina, and said the team would know more about the injury in the next couple of days.

The timing stings. Chicago (1-3-0) finally got into the win column Tuesday, beating St. Louis 4-2 at the United Center in Patrick Kane's homecoming, and Teravainen had just set up Anton Frondell's second-period goal before he left with what the club called a lower-body injury.

Where every injured Blackhawk stands

Bedard's situation is the one that matters most for fantasy managers, and it needs to be stated precisely. He is not on injured reserve. He began the season on the injured non-roster list after being hurt during a July 2 training session in Vancouver, and NHL.com reported at the time that the recovery was expected to take about four months. That put the target in November, and nothing official has moved it.

The encouraging part is that he is back on the ice with the group. Bedard took part in practices this week in a non-contact jersey and stayed for full sessions, rotating in for some reps on the second line. Blashill said Bedard has not yet been cleared for contact and did not know when that exam would happen. Contact clearance is the real gate here. Until he passes it, any return date is speculation.

Teravainen's injury is the newest and the murkiest. The team has only called it lower body. Some outside commentary has speculated about an ankle sprain or a knee issue, but none of that comes from the club, so the safe read is day to day at best and longer if the Blackhawks place him on injured reserve after the next evaluation.

How the lines shake out without them

With Teravainen out, Chicago is thin at forward. Practice groupings earlier this week had Roman Kantserov, Frank Nazar and Kane together, with Tyler Bertuzzi, Frondell and Teravainen as the second line. Teravainen's absence opens a spot on the Frondell line, and Blashill has to fill it from a group that already lost Mangiapane.

The Kane line has been the one carrying the offense. Kane, signed to a two-year, $16 million contract in July, logged 20:55 in the win over the Blues, and Kantserov was second among Chicago forwards in ice time behind him. Nazar had a goal and an assist Tuesday. That trio is going to see the opposition's best for as long as Bedard is out, and it will also be leaned on for offensive zone starts.

Frondell is the name to watch. The rookie has four points (one goal, three assists) in four games, and the second-line center job is his to run while Bedard is sidelined. Thursday also pits him against Islanders rookie Victor Eklund, his former Djurgarden teammate and World Junior gold medal winner with Sweden.

The power play is the real fantasy story

Chicago's power play scored Tuesday on a Sam Rinzel goal set up by Nazar, and that is a useful window into how the Blackhawks are building their units without Bedard. Kane is a fixture on the top unit, and NHL.com's preseason fantasy preview had him there alongside Bedard and Frondell once the captain returns.

On the back end, the quarterback job is not fully settled. Bowen Byram, in the first year of a six-year, $75 million extension, has the inside track on the top unit and the heaviest minutes on the blue line. He returned Tuesday after missing the loss in Buffalo for family reasons and played 21:22 with two shots. Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov are both pushing for power play time, and Levshunov took a turn on the first unit in camp.

Teravainen's absence removes a veteran passer from the man advantage, which pushes more touches toward Kane, Nazar and Frondell. In leagues that reward power play points, every one of those three gets a small bump for as long as Teravainen is out.

Fantasy fallout

Patrick Kane: Start him. He is the focal point of the Chicago offense right now, playing big minutes on the top line and top power play unit. NHL.com projected him for a late-round bounce-back season, and the current injury list only adds to his usage.

Anton Frondell: He moves from interesting to rosterable in most 12-team formats while he centers a top-six line with power play time. Rookie production can be streaky, so treat him as a short-term add with upside rather than a locked-in starter.

Frank Nazar: Same logic. He is producing in a top-line role and should keep it until Bedard returns.

Bowen Byram: His floor is strong regardless, but the stretch before Bedard's return is when Byram's power play role is safest. Hold firm.

Connor Bedard: Do not drop him, and do not sell low. Managers in leagues with an IR slot should stash him there. The practice reps in a non-contact jersey are a positive sign, but the contact clearance has not come, and November remains the working window.

Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Mangiapane: Teravainen goes to the bench or an IR slot until the Blackhawks provide a diagnosis. Mangiapane can be dropped in shallow leagues since he is week to week with no update.

What to do in your league and on the board

For daily fantasy and props, Chicago's forward group is concentrated, and that concentration is the angle. With Bedard, Teravainen and Mangiapane all out, the shot volume and power play time run through Kane, Kantserov, Nazar and Frondell. Points props on Kane are the most direct way to express that, while Toninato and the bottom six are not worth considering.

The other side is defensive. Chicago won its home opener but sits at 1-3-0, and the Islanders are dealing with their own injury blow after losing Alexander Romanov for six to eight months. Verdexed's game-by-game call for Thursday is on the NHL predictions page (/nhl/predictions).

Spencer Knight, who made 26 saves Tuesday, is the clear starter in goal. He is a streaming option at best in standard leagues given how thin the skaters in front of him are.

What's next

The key dates are Saturday at Carolina, where Teravainen's status will be clarified, and whenever Bedard is cleared for contact. Once that happens, Chicago's lines reset, Frondell and Nazar likely see some of their power play role absorbed, and Kane's short-term bump narrows. Until then, the Blackhawks are a three-line team with Kane at the center of everything, and fantasy managers should roster accordingly.