Any optimism that hung with the many unknowns of this coming Chicago Blackhawks season always felt contingent on their connection to the team’s known — Connor Bedard.If Roman Kantserov were to arrive from Russia and hit the ground running in the NHL, it would be with Bedard as his linemate. If Bowen Byram were to prove himself as a No. 1 defenseman, it would be while piling up points on the power play and everywhere else with Bedard as his main target. If the Blackhawks were going to take the next step in their rebuild despite being so young and inexperienced, it would be with Bedard leading the way.While all that can still be true, the timeline certainly was affected Wednesday when the Blackhawks announced Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder and would miss about four months, putting him on a trajectory for an early-November return. That could equate to about 15 missed games.The Blackhawks obviously would prefer to have Bedard regardless of the time of year, but his absence coming at the start of the campaign especially complicates matters for a team that could use a strong start to gain confidence and build momentum. What might a horrid start to do the team’s season?Without Bedard, the Blackhawks will bank on plenty of their other young talented players to prove themselves in the NHL. What might the Blackhawks’ lineup look like without him? How about when he returns? Here are our projections:Forwards without BedardTyler Bertuzzi — Frank Nazar — Roman Kantserov