Although the Chicago Blackhawks‘ to-do list is not particularly short, there is no item as vital as re-signing Connor Bedard. Before the 2025-26 NHL season comes to an official end, the two sides are reportedly getting to work on an extension.
Both Bedard and the Hawks want to make it work, so the process should not take long. However, the player’s camp may be unwilling to budge on the term of the pending deal. It shouldn’t be a dealbreaker, but it may be something that Chicago comes back to regret.
“I don’t think Bedard is [going to re-sign for] full term. I think it’ll be shorter,” David Pagnotta said on Oilers Nation Everyday. According to Pagnotta, if Bedard chose to re-sign for the full term (seven or eight years), he could make up to $16–17 million in AAV. Such a contract would make him the highest-paid center in the NHL, surpassing Leon Draisaitl’s $14M AAV.
Whether that value is realistic or justified for Bedard—who has yet to record a 100-point season—is a different question. In his defense, it is hard to put up that many points while playing on one of the worst and shallowest rosters in the league.
Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks at Scotiabank Arena
Contract terms implications for Bedard
By choosing to sign a shorter deal, Bedard would likely pass on a couple of million dollars, but the financial loss might be worth it if it grants him an easier way out in case the Blackhawks’ rebuild explodes in his face. If Bedard were to sign a long-term contract, he would virtually chain himself to United Center and brace for whatever comes next in Chicago.
The former first overall pick remains confident in the organization, but he has been in Windy City for three NHL seasons and has yet to experience any form of team success. By signing a mid-term extension, he leaves the door slightly open to ask out in case his patience runs thin.
Moreover, Bedard may not want to sign such a lucrative contract. He is well aware that the Blackhawks need every dollar they can get to bolster the lineup around him. Bedard can live with a couple fewer million dollars if it means the supporting cast will improve. He is not one to call out his teammates, but it is no secret that Chicago has failed him in that regard since drafting him in 2023.
Bedard hopes for change
The North Vancouver kid wants to see winds of change blow through Windy City, and it may start with him taking a few cents on the dollar. Determined to help the team in every way he can, Bedard may not want a franchise-record-breaking contract, but saving money will come at a cost for the Hawks—namely in the form of term.
Cheaper rarely means better, and the Blackhawks may revisit that lesson soon. For the time being, though, they are content with any way they can keep Bedard in town. If it is only for four or five years, then so be it.
