The Blackhawks locked up their franchise player. Connor Bedard agreed to a five-year, $75 million contract, checking off Chicago’s biggest offseason priority. The team announced the deal Saturday, ending the restricted free agency of a center who turned 21 the day before.
GM Kyle Davidson praised Bedard as an established star, calling him “an elite player in the NHL” and crediting him with lifting the standard for Chicago’s young core and making his linemates better. The contract came together 10 days after Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder, an injury suffered while skating with a group of NHL players in western Canada. He’s expected to miss the start of the season as a result.
Bedard has anchored the rebuild since Chicago took him first overall in the 2023 draft. He debuted that October, won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, and has climbed steadily since. After 23 goals and 44 assists in a full 82-game second season, he set career highs this year with 30 goals and 45 assists in 69 games. Injuries have interrupted the ride at times, from a broken jaw that cost him nearly six weeks as a rookie to a right shoulder problem that sidelined him for 12 games this season.
The team around him is still finding its footing. Chicago went 29-39-14, an 11-point bump from the year before but well short of the playoff race, and has finished 31st in the league three years running. The Blackhawks haven’t reached the postseason since the pandemic-altered 2020 format. This offseason they added defenseman Bowen Byram in a June 23 trade with Buffalo and signed forward prospect Roman Kantserov in May.
With the contract settled, the captaincy could be next. Bedard became an alternate captain after Chicago dealt its entire leadership group in March, and he’s in position to become the 36th captain in franchise history. Teammates have already voiced support for the move, pointing to the leadership qualities he shows on a daily basis.
