Major Injury for Connor Bedard and Calder Trophy Race: The Forward Certainly Hasn't Said His Last Word

The first thing many hockey fans said on social media since Connor Bedard's very first game is how high and tilted his visor is.

It looks like it doesn't even cover his eyes because it's so small, and many were concerned he might get injured because of it.

There wasn't any direct incident, but he still suffered a significant facial injury, with a fractured jaw, which sidelined him for several weeks.

It was during this time that Brock Faber and Adam Fantilli had a clear path to the Calder Trophy, but that's no longer the case. Fantilli got injured, and even if that hadn't happened, Bedard is simply too dominant.


Indeed, despite missing about a dozen games, Bedard is heading towards the Calder Trophy uncontested. With 51 points in 52 games, he had his first 5-point game on Tuesday night, scoring 1 goal and 4 assists in a 7-2 win over the Ducks.

Scoring 5 points in a game in the NHL is great even for Connor McDavid. For an 18-year-old rookie, it's phenomenal!

His closest pursuer, Brock Faber, has 38 points in 66 games. He's a defenseman and very good, but let's be honest. Despite his average ice time of 25:09 per game, he can't compete with Bedard.

Unless there's a major turnaround, Bedard will be the winner of the Calder Trophy for the 2023-24 season, even though he missed a lot of games. It's spectacular!