Connor Bedard could have let the whole league come calling. He had the leverage, the star power, and a freshly injured shoulder that might have made any team think twice before committing. Instead, he basically told his agent not to bother picking up the phone.
Bedard signed a five-year, $75 million extension with the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, landing at $15 million per season. That makes him the third-highest paid player in the NHL, behind only Leon Draisaitl and the guy whose contract drama shadowed his own: Leo Carlsson.
But here’s the thing. Bedard never wanted to play that game.
His agent, Don Meehan, told The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus that Bedard made his stance clear long before Carlsson signed that offer sheet with the Flyers. And he made it clear after, too.
“Connor made it clear even after the (Carlsson) offer sheet — and before the offer sheet — that he had no intention of signing an offer sheet, that he was happy in Chicago, believed in the organization, believed in his teammates, and was quite content and happy to stay exactly where he was in Chicago,” Meehan said.
Carlsson, drafted second overall in 2023 just minutes after Bedard went first to Chicago, signed a five-year offer sheet with Philadelphia worth $18 million per year. The Anaheim Ducks matched it, keeping Carlsson in California and making him the league’s top earner. A team could have tried the same thing with Bedard. He wasn’t interested.
Shoulder injury didn’t scare Chicago off
Bedard had offseason shoulder surgery that will cost him the first few weeks of the regular season. The Blackhawks knew about it. They paid him anyway.
That probably says as much about Chicago’s confidence in him as it does about his willingness to stay. The two sides compromised on the term. Bedard reportedly wanted a shorter deal. Chicago wanted the full eight-year max. They landed on five years with the same length Carlsson signed for.
Bedard will be 26 when this contract expires. That means he gets to hit free agency again while he’s still in his prime, not limping toward 30. That matters.
Two careers, one timeline
Bedard and Carlsson have been linked since draft night in Nashville. Now their contracts play out in the same month, with both players locking in life-changing money but taking notably different paths to get there. Carlsson let the market set his price. Bedard set his own, and Chicago matched without hesitation.
The two centers will face each other for the first time on January 28. Bedard should be back healthy by then. The game won’t decide who got the better deal, but it’s a nice bookmark for a rivalry that’s barely started.
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