Although he hasn’t been mentioned in much of the extension buzz that dominated a quiet summer, Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and became extension eligible on July 1st. Still, Bedard and the Blackhawks don’t seem rushed to get anything figured out soon.
Speaking with Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio, General Manager Kyle Davidson was quoted, saying, “It’s nothing we’re actively working on right now but Connor’s mentioned it and I’ll say it: I have zero concern about where that’s headed. He wants to be here for a long time, we want him here for a long time, we’re going to make that happen.”
Unlike his extension-eligible counterparts, since he’ll only experience the expiration of his entry-level deal, Bedard will become a restricted free agent next summer without arbitration rights. It is becoming more common for players with draft pedigrees similar to Bedard’s to sign long-term extensions when the opportunity arises.
In the three drafts preceding Bedard being selected first overall, each of the three before him has signed long-term extensions with their respective clubs. Jack Hughes kicked things off with an eight-year, $64MM extension with the New Jersey Devils, followed by Owen Power signing a seven-year, $58.45MM extension with the Buffalo Sabres, and finished with Juraj Slafkovsky signing an eight-year, $60.8MM extension with the Montreal Canadiens.
Although Chicago will have ample cap space to grant Bedard a long-term contract, projecting his hypothetical extension is quite challenging. Although he erased any injury concern from his rookie campaign, Bedard hasn’t necessarily taken the league by storm, as he was expected to when drafted.
Since debuting with the Blackhawks for the 2023-24 season, Bedard has scored 45 goals and 128 points in 150 games, averaging 20:03 of ice time per game. For better or for worse, Bedard was strongly compared to Connor McDavid upon his entrance into the league. While also dealing with injury concerns during his rookie season, McDavid performed notably better in his first two years with the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 46 goals and 148 points in 127 contests.
Because of this, Bedard is unlikely to ink a similar deal to the eight-year, $100MM contract that McDavid signed upon expiration of his entry-level contract. It will likely be comparable to the recent extensions signed by Hughes, Power, and Slafkovsky, if Bedard and Chicago are leaning toward a long-term deal, with the added bump of the salary cap increase.
In CB’s defense, it hasn’t helped that he’s on a lousy team. Nor has it helped that he has different wingers every month. If I were Davidson, I would sign CB as long as possible, so he doesn’t jump ship anytime soon.
I don’t see this as a concern, I do see the negotiations in Edmonton, With McDavid as a concern, I’m also not sold on Kyle Davidson getting the Blackhawks across the finish/Back to a consistent level of competitiveness.
We’re not worried about it
Nobody in Chicago is worried bout it. Besides what can he do? He can go RFA and the Hawks will match. He’s better off getting the deal he wants between now and next year. Everybody can just relax.
Well I mean he can get offer sheeted and force the Hawks to match a bad deal. But yeah he’s not likely going anywhere.
Stars are being told that the cap could go up 20-30%within 4 years; I’m betting the new approach by players & agents stacking for 3-4 year terms. Not all will necessarily be Tkachuk-like mercenaries and pack up so easily, but it’s definitely something I’d expect from the growing American pool of stars. Bedard once dreamed of playing with his hometown Canucks; in 6 years time I could see that happening…