Connor Bedard gets $75 million deal as Blackhawks face build test
Chicago signed Connor Bedard to a five-year, $75 million extension, putting pressure on the club to support its young star.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Connor Bedard is staying in Chicago on a five-year, $75 million contract extension, the Blackhawks announced Saturday, locking in the center the franchise drafted No. 1 overall in 2023.
The deal carries a $15 million average annual value, which CBS Sports reported will make Bedard the NHL’s third-highest-paid player for the 2026-27 season. Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson is ahead of him at $18 million, with Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov at $17 million, according to CBS Sports.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a team statement that Bedard has “continuously defied our expectations” since being drafted and has become “an elite player in the NHL.” Davidson also praised Bedard’s work ethic and said the forward has set a standard for Chicago’s young core.
Bedard’s production already explains the price tag. CBS Sports reported that he had a career-best 75 points in 69 games last season. Through 219 NHL games, he has 75 goals and 128 assists.
Bedard’s job: get healthy, then round out the game
The contract comes with a big immediate catch: Bedard is expected to miss the first month of the coming season because of a shoulder injury, according to CBS Sports. The outlet reported that he missed 13 games last season with a shoulder issue and later had another shoulder injury that required surgery.
That makes availability one of the first tests of his new deal. CBS Sports noted that Bedard has played fewer than 70 games in two of his first three NHL seasons.
His offense is already the calling card, but CBS Sports pointed to defensive play and faceoffs as areas still under inspection. Natural Stat Trick data cited by CBS Sports showed Chicago allowed 3.60 expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five with Bedard on the ice last season, the second-worst figure on the team.
The same analysis said Chicago had a 40.1% expected-goals share and a minus-12 goal differential with Bedard on the ice. Without him, the Blackhawks had a 43.2% expected-goals share and a minus-35 goal differential.
There was movement in the faceoff circle. CBS Sports reported that Bedard improved from 38.9% as a rookie to 47.1% last season.
Chicago’s job: find him help
Bedard’s extension also shifts the pressure back to the Blackhawks. CBS Sports wrote that Davidson avoided the restricted-free-agent risk that hit Anaheim, after Philadelphia signed Carlsson to a $90 million offer sheet that the Ducks matched.
Chicago has already made one notable addition, acquiring defenseman Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres this offseason, according to CBS Sports. The outlet reported that the blue line still needs work but described Byram as an upgrade.
The bigger issue is scoring support. CBS Sports reported that Tyler Bertuzzi, 31, was the only Blackhawks player besides Bedard to top 50 points in 2025-26. Chicago still has $14.1 million in cap space, according to CBS Sports, though some improvement may need to come from younger players already in the organization.
CBS Sports listed seven recent top-50 draft picks who could be part of the lineup:
- Frank Nazar, No. 13 overall in 2022
- Sam Rinzel, No. 25 overall in 2022
- Connor Bedard, No. 1 overall in 2023
- Oliver Moore, No. 19 overall in 2023
- Roman Kantserov, No. 44 overall in 2023
- Artyom Levshunov, No. 2 overall in 2024
- Anton Frondell, No. 3 overall in 2025
With Bedard sidelined to open the season, Chicago’s first month should give the Blackhawks a clearer read on which young players can carry more responsibility before the $75 million man returns.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.