Just how worse off are the Blackhawks without Connor Bedard? Key stat highlights Chicago's offensive woes

The Chicago Blackhawks were always expected to be near the bottom of the standings this season, but their team has been even worse than some thought.

Chicago drafted Connor Bedard first overall and the rookie was off to a good start. He had 33 points in 39 games, but the rookie suffered a fractured jaw from a hit on Jan. 5.

Since Bedard has been out, the Blackhawks offense has gotten much worse, as one fan pointed out a troubling stat.

"Connor Bedard’s impact on #Blackhawks. With Bedard; 2.32 Goals/game. Without Bedard; 1.56 Goals/game."

At 1.56 goals per game without Bedard, Chicago is averaging the least amount of goals per game in the NHL. Currently, the Blackhawks are averaging 2.17 goals per game, which ranks 31st while. No one other than Bedard has recorded more than 30 points.

Currently, only two players have more than 20 points, as Jason Dickinson has 24 points and Philipp Kurashev has 23 points.

In Chicago's past five games, the Blackhawks have scored just seven goals, averaging a brutal 1.4 goals per game.

With Bedard still out, Chicago's offense continues to be arguably the worst in the league.

When will Connor Bedard return?

When Connor Bedard suffered a fractured jaw, he was ruled out for six to eight weeks.

However, Bedard will likely be out longer. Following Chicago's loss to the Vancouver Canucks, head coach Luke Richardson said the rookie is still a long way away from returning.

“He's devastated not to be here and playing, let alone just being here but he's on course on the recovery,” Richardson said. “It's going to be probably at least six weeks. It's bone settling.

"He [isn’t] coming back next week, which would be great, but it's not about him wanting to or not. It's just about the medical side of things and the doctors will let us know when he's ready to come back."

Bedard did return to the ice on Jan. 16 for some light shooting, but according to Richardson, he can't take contact or clench his jaw.

Once Connor Bedard is cleared to return, Luke Richardson expects his rookie forward to pick up where he left off.

“He's going to do whatever he can to get back earlier but that's a doctor's decision and when they do scans and X-rays to make sure that the bone is healed. Then that'll be the time to ramp up the on-ice stuff to get him ready,” Richardson said. “He's an eager guy. He's going to do everything he can, so when he's ready to come back, he'll be ready to come back.”

The Blackhawks are currently 14-31-2 and 15th in the Western Conference.