{"id":133197,"date":"2025-09-10T07:18:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T07:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/133197\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T07:18:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T07:18:08","slug":"blackhawks-at-comfortable-spot-in-connor-bedard-extension-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/133197\/","title":{"rendered":"Blackhawks At Comfortable Spot In Connor Bedard Extension Talks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite little mention of a new deal, it doesn\u2019t seem Chicago Blackhawks fans have any reason to worry about not landing an agreement with their lineup star. Connor Bedard<\/a> shared that he and the Blackhawks have mutual interest in getting a multi-year extension done with NHL.com\u2019s Nicholas J. Cotsonika<\/a> during the NHL Media Tour. The young sniper said:<\/p>\n

We\u2019re both comfortable with where we\u2019re at. They know I want to be there; I know they want me. So, it\u2019s really not on my mind that much, and I just think when it happens, it\u2019ll happen.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say that Bedard\u2019s extension will have to be unique. The 2023 first-overall pick has filled a distinctly difficult role through two seasons in Chicago. He\u2019s unequivocally the Blackhawks\u2019 top forward, though adapting to a do-it-all role has proven lofty for the 5-foot-10 centerman \u2013 especially after two years on a sluggish Regina Pats team. But just like he did in the WHL, Bedard has found his scoring through the struggles. He\u2019s surpassed 60 points in each of his first two seasons, a feat that only two other teenagers \u2013 Sidney Crosby<\/a> and Patrik Laine<\/a> \u2013 have accomplished since 2000.<\/p>\n

Reaching further into the bag of superlatives, Bedard\u2019s 128 points in his first 150 games is the third-most recorded by a teenager in the last 10 years, behind Laine and Connor McDavid<\/a>. He ranks just ahead of Nathan MacKinnon<\/a> (101 points) and Nico Hischier<\/a> (99 points). That fact paints a sign of relief for Blackhawks fans worried that Bedard hasn\u2019t broken into the top echelon of scoring just yet. He\u2019s still many, many years away from his prime \u2013 and performed at a supreme level for a teenager in the NHL.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But how will that reflect in contract negotiations? Laine opted for a bridge deal after his entry-level deal came to a close, inking a two-year, $13.5MM contract that\u2019d prove to be a proper amount of risk-avoidance. But Laine\u2019s lineup standing, as a goal-dependent winger, can hardly be compared to the firm role that Bedard has already carved out. His standing is much more in-line with players like Hischier or MacKinnon, who each signed seven-year contract extensions after their entry-level deal that carried a cap hit equivalent to 8.9 percent of the salary cap. Using that same marker for Bedard, Chicago could be set to begin negotiations with their young center at a seven-year, $64.8MM contract \u2013 which would carry a yearly cap hit of $9.256MM.<\/p>\n

On a long-term contract, that deal could be more than worth it. Bedard spent the 2025 summer working alongside many of the NHL\u2019s top emerging youngsters, including Macklin Celebrini<\/a> and Kent Johnson<\/a>. While training video is often not an indicator of game performance, it was hard not to notice Bedard\u2019s patented snappy wrist-shot looking a bit stronger, and more deceptive, as he played around some great peers. A summer of honing skills, and a few more years of strength-building, could easily place Bedard in the position of electric goal-scorer that many expect him to fill. He\u2019s already posted two 20-goal seasons in his campaign, and will eye the next rung up the ladder \u2013 a 30-goal campaign \u2013 next year.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Chicago will sit patient on a deal. Bedard said that he could sign an extension before the season, but may not. If he doesn\u2019t, he\u2019ll have a great chance to a heftier payday on a Blackhawks roster ever so slightly better than their 2024-25 group. Whether it\u2019s sparked by a hot start to the year or a warm reception at training camp, running Bedard\u2019s stay in Chicago through the 2030\u2019s seems to be a matter of when \u2013 not if.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite little mention of a new deal, it doesn\u2019t seem Chicago Blackhawks fans have any reason to worry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":133198,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,756,45814,4247,448,14116,82],"class_list":["post-133197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-connor-bedard","tag-newsstand","tag-nhl","tag-players","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}