Connor Bedard just signed an extension with the Chicago Blackhawks on July 18, locking in the center till the 2030-31 season. 

The $15 million-a-year deal came just 10 days after Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder. A discussion was led by former NHL players Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, and Keith Yandle, with 29 seasons combined NHL experience, on what this signing means for Chicago on the Spittin Chiclets podcast, as posted on Instagram on July 22.

"He looked incredible last year; that guy has a special quality, like star power?" said former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Whitney.

As per the official video posted on Instagram, the comment is accurate with the numbers, as Bedard set career highs with 30 goals, 45 assists, and 75 points in 69 games last season.

They also connected the timing of this signing to Anaheim Ducks' Leo Carlsson's $18 million-a-year offer sheet situation, which made him the highest-paid player in the league.

"He's marketable, he scores, and then they get him locked up after the Leo Carlsson thing, so I feel like every Blackhawks fan was fired up," said Whitney.

Bedard missed about 12 games last season, including all of January. This was after hurting his right shoulder while playing against St. Louis. Then in early July, he injured his left shoulder in an offseason training accident and needed surgery.

"Bedard signing for me, and you said it, he'll dominate next year," the former player added. "You think he'll take the next leap? Because he's going to get healthy, and he's not going to rush back out of that shoulder. He's going to be a beast training."

Instead of a giant eight-year megadeal, Bedard signed for five years, which gives him enough time to get comfortable or to reach unrestricted free agency again at 26. 

Whitney said last season showed the player has the potential to become a "100-point guy" and believes he'll reach another level this year.

Bedard’s contract discussion

Bedard had been eligible to sign an extension since July 1, 2025, but the two sides waited till they found common ground. 

According to an NHL article, the Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said there was no update on talks just a week before the deal got confirmed, so once it did, things moved fast.

The five-year, $75 million contract holds a $15 million salary cap hit and runs from 2026-27 till 2030-31. At $15 million, Bedard ranks third in the league, behind Carlsson ($18 million) and Minnesota's Kirill Kaprizov ($17 million). 

"Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted," Davidson said in a statement, "and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL."

Bedard has led Chicago in scoring in each of his three NHL seasons spent there. He scored 203 points in 219 games since the Blackhawks made him the No. 1 pick in 2023. He also went on to win the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie in 2023-24.

With this kind of pace, if he does manage to hold it up for the coming seasons, there's no doubt that the Blackhawks made the right decision on extending the young center.

What do you think about Bedard's new deal? Let us know down in the comments below.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar