CHICAGO — Connor Bedard has stated he wants to win Stanley Cup championships and wants to do it with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Bedard committed to that pledge by agreeing to a five-year contract extension, carrying an average annual value of $15 million, the team announced Saturday afternoon.
The deal, which comes a day after Bedard turned 21, is the third largest in the league in terms of average annual value behind only Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson ($18 million) and Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov ($17 million). It will keep Bedard in Chicago through the 2030-31 season, but buys out only one year of unrestricted free agency.
“Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL,” Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said in a released statement. “He utilizes all aspects of his game to not only be a constant threat, but to make the players around him better every time he steps on the ice. Connor’s strong work ethic and determination to always improve his game has set an extraordinary standard for our young core, and we’re excited for the incredible impact he’ll have in this next chapter of Blackhawks hockey.”
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Bedard’s contract extension has been a topic of conversation since he was drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2023. It was known then that Bedard’s second contract would be vital to Davidson’s rebuild. Bedard was the main piece in a large puzzle. The focus on Bedard’s contract has only grown with time, too. The possibility of an offer sheet has always been there, but it became more realistic when Leo Carlsson recently signed one with the Philadelphia Flyers (the Anaheim Ducks matched it on July 9). Would Bedard follow suit? It was also unknown whether Bedard’s recent shoulder injury and ensuing surgery would impact negotiations. He is expected to return in early November.
Few players have entered the NHL as well-known and hyped as Bedard in 2023. His elite offensive ability, combined with a social media microscope, made him a household name before he ever played an NHL game. That attention only increased as he went to the Blackhawks and began playing and being marketed in one of the league’s biggest cities. While the Blackhawks have largely struggled on the ice in Bedard’s first three seasons, he’s been the driving force behind their top-five attendance, jersey sales and general relevance in Chicago and beyond.
“We couldn’t be happier with how Connor has shown up every single night, the way he competes, the way he now leads this team in many ways,” Blackhawks chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said late into the 2025-26 season. “Our intention is to absolutely get him signed and to have him be a Blackhawk for a long time.”
Bedard took his play to another level this past season. Though he was the Blackhawks’ best player in his first two seasons, Bedard fell short of becoming the NHL’s next era-defining player. But after a focused offseason, Bedard proved in 2025-26 that he can hang with the league’s best. He had 19 goals and 25 assists in his first 31 games before his season was derailed by a shoulder injury. After that, his scoring pace fell off, and he had 11 goals and 20 assists over his final 38 games.
Bedard not only produced more this season, but he also took on a leadership role. After the Blackhawks traded veterans Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson at the trade deadline, Bedard was promoted to alternate captain. He could be named captain later this offseason.
“It’d be an honor,” Bedard said of the possibility of becoming captain. “It’d be extremely special. We have a lot of guys in this room who can lead and take on those kind of roles. If I’m the one who is chosen for that, I’d be extremely grateful, and that’s not something anyone would take for granted. This is a special organization; it’s been around for 100 years now. You see the names that have gotten that honor; that would be amazing.”
Bedard downplayed contract talks throughout the season and continued to express his loyalty to the organization and his belief in Davidson’s rebuild plan. Now that Bedard has committed to a longer future with the Blackhawks, winning will undoubtedly become his priority. He’s already said he wants the Blackhawks to be a playoff team next season.
“I talk about wanting to win, we all want to win. I want to win here for as long as I’m playing,” Bedard said after the season. “At the end of the day, I have so much faith in the management, the coaching and also our players. We get to see each other every day, how we approach the game, how guys practice, how much skill there is.
“I would go to bat for any single guy in that room and argue they’re going to reach their full potential because of the mindset and work ethic we have in our group. I can’t be more confident that we are going to get to where we want to get to. It’s going to be a fun journey. I think that’s what people say they look back on, is kind of growing up together and kind of getting better and better. We’re motivated to do that.”
What this means for the Blackhawks
It’s hard to overstate Bedard’s importance to the Blackhawks. Not only is he by far their best player — and one of the best players on the planet when healthy — he’s also the face of the franchise. For three years, he’s been on just about every billboard, every social-media post. On his first day of training camp, the Blackhawks wheeled in a mobile kiosk just to sell No. 98 jerseys, shirseys and hoodies. The next time he puts on that sweater, it’ll likely have a “C” sewn onto it. Bedard is the Blackhawks, and if he had asked for the same $18 million that Carlsson just got (via an offer sheet from the Flyers), he would have gotten it.
The $15 million price tag might provide some sticker shock to those still stuck in the flat-cap mentality that pervaded the NHL since the pandemic. But, if anything, it’ll probably look like a bargain within a year or so as the cap keeps rising, and Bedard’s star keeps ascending. In two years, that $15 million projects to be about 12.2 percent of the salary cap — that would have been just $10.1 million in Bedard’s rookie season, or $7.84 million when Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane signed matching $10.5 million cap hits in 2014. He’ll be the third-highest-paid player in the league this coming season, but will drop down the ranks quickly as some megastars sign over the next couple of years.
Besides, with Frank Nazar locked in long term and Artyom Levshunov and Anton Frondell in the early stages of their development, the Blackhawks don’t figure to be in any significant cap trouble during Bedard’s new deal. There still will be room to add, even after signing defenseman Bowen Byram to a six-year deal with a $12.5-million cap hit. Welcome to the new world of the NHL. Those prices are only going up.
And remember, until he hurt his shoulder (not the one that he injured this summer) on Dec. 12, Bedard was third in the league in scoring — neck-and-neck with Macklin Celebrini. He’s that good. Now the question becomes: How does Chicago maximize this five-year window and surround Bedard with the kind of talent that can put the Blackhawks back in the championship conversation? That’ll be a lot trickier than retaining Bedard. — Mark Lazerus
