CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks have locked in the face of their rebuild, signing Connor Bedard to a five-year contract worth $75 million in one of the franchise’s most important offseason moves.
Chicago announced the agreement Saturday, one day after Bedard celebrated his 21st birthday. The star center had been a restricted free agent before reaching the new deal with the Blackhawks.
General manager Kyle Davidson praised Bedard’s rapid rise, saying in a team release that the young forward has exceeded expectations since being drafted and has already become one of the NHL’s premier talents. Davidson also pointed to Bedard’s all-around impact, work ethic and drive to improve as qualities that have helped set the tone for Chicago’s developing core.
The contract was completed just 10 days after Bedard underwent surgery on his left shoulder. He is expected to be sidelined for the start of the season after suffering the injury while skating with NHL players in western Canada.
The Blackhawks showed some progress this year, finishing 29-39-14 for an 11-point jump from the previous season, but the club remained well outside the playoff picture. Chicago has ended each of the past three seasons ranked 31st in the NHL standings.
Chicago has not reached the postseason since the NHL’s expanded playoff format following the COVID-19-disrupted 2020 season. As part of its ongoing roster build, the team traded with Buffalo for defenseman Bowen Byram on June 23 and signed forward prospect Roman Kantserov in May.
Bedard has been the centerpiece of the Blackhawks’ long-term plan since Chicago selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He entered the league with enormous expectations that October and went on to capture the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year.
After posting 23 goals and 44 assists while playing all 82 games in his second season, Bedard took another step forward this year. He set new career bests with 30 goals and 45 assists across 69 games, further cementing his status as the Blackhawks’ franchise cornerstone.
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“He’s so important to our team,” Davidson said in April. “He took such a big step forward this year in every facet.”
Bedard missed nearly six weeks of his rookie season with a broken jaw, and he was sidelined for 12 games this year after he injured his right shoulder.
With the contract done, the next big moment for Bedard could be taking over as the 36th captain in franchise history. He became an alternate captain after the team traded away its entire leadership group in March.
His teammates think he’s ready for the challenge.
“I think that he has every leadership quality like I was just talking about to be a captain in this league,” forward Oliver Moore said in April. “He brings it every day.”
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