CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks captain Connor Bedard is set for his season debut on Tuesday night against Pittsburgh.

Coach Jeff Blashill said Bedard is in the lineup for the matchup with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. The 21-year-old center had surgery on his left shoulder on July 8.

“It’s only been six games, but when you miss camp and you miss preseason it feels like a lot longer,” Bedard said. “Just to be back with the guys and get to do what I love, it’s exciting. Looking forward to getting back out there, for sure.”

Chicago dropped five of its first six games without Bedard, who had a team-high 45 assists and 75 points last season. The Blackhawks have been outscored 26-12.

“We have to understand we’re adding a good piece to the puzzle, but we can’t expect him to put the puzzle together by himself,” Blashill said.

Bedard agreed to a $75 million, five-year contract in July. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft became the second-youngest captain in the history of the Original Six franchise on Sept. 15.

He got hurt while skating with a group of NHL players in western Canada this summer. After the operation, the team said he would be sidelined for approximately four months.

“You never really know how things are going to go,” Bedard said. “I put a lot of time and effort into the rehab process to try and maybe come back a little earlier than I guess originally expected, but at the end of the day it’s just when they felt comfortable. So it was safe for me to get back out there. But definitely happy that I didn’t miss quite as many.”

Bedard made his NHL debut against Crosby and the Penguins in 2023. He was heralded as the new face of the Blackhawks, and he won the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year.

He missed 12 games last season after he hurt his right shoulder on Dec. 12. He wasn't allowed to take faceoffs after he returned, but he has no restrictions this year.

“It’s nice. I mean, you want to just play your full game,” Bedard said. “So just get back out there and you want to play as free as you can. It’s nice that we had two practices for me to get into and feel some bumps and get into battles and stuff where it’s not as controlled.”

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