If the Calder Trophy were awarded today, Connor Bedard would undoubtedly be the winner.
The young Chicago Blackhawks prodigy suffered a broken jaw However, the situation could change. Depending on the length of his absence, other candidates could emerge and restart the race.
With 33 points in 39 games, Bedard is by far the most productive rookie of the season so far. He currently has nine points more than his two closest rivals, Marco Rossi (Minnesota Wild) and Adam Fantilli (Columbus Blue Jackets), who each have 24 points. However, that lead is likely to disappear as Bedard recovers from his serious injury.
If you break your jaw, you can expect a recovery time of four to six weeks. For example, Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner has just returned to training, a month after suffering the same fate as Bedard. But he doesn't have the green light to return to duty yet.
Some players take longer than others to fully recover. Jarred Tinordi, now Bedard's teammate, missed nearly two months last year after taking a puck to the face.
In addition to Rossi and Fantilli, we can't ignore defender Luke Hughes (New Jersey Devils), who is very impressive with 23 points in 38 games.
Two other guards, Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild) and Pavel Mintyukov (Anaheim Ducks), are also in the top 10 with 19 and 18 points, respectively, in 38 games.