The Chicago Blackhawks have extended star center Connor Bedard, signing him to a five-year, $75 million contract extension.
The Blackhawks announced the extension on Saturday for Bedard, who was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The Blackhawks will pay Bedard $15 million per season for the next five years, and he will become an unrestricted free agent once this deal is over.
“ð ð ð ð ð ð ð ð from draft night to his first goal on UC ice and every moment in between, hereâs to ð more years of ðð in Chicago,” the Blackhawks wrote on X.
Connor Bedard is a Stud Center
Bedard is just 21, and he has been in the NHL for three seasons, scoring 75 goals and 203 points in 219 career games. In his first season in 2023-24, Bedard won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year.
He is a terrific young hockey player who is going to be good for many years to come. He is currently injured as he hurt his shoulder during the offseason, but he should be back in a few months. When he returns, look for Bedard to have another big season for the Blackhawks.
Ducks Contract for Leo Carlsson Looks Bad
Now that Bedard has signed for five years and $75 million, the Anaheim Ducks giving Leo Carlsson five years and $90 million looks even worse right now.
To be fair to the Ducks, they were put in a very tough position when the Philadelphia Flyers gave Carlsson a mega offer sheet, at which point the Ducks were forced to either match that deal or take four first-round picks as compensation from Philadelphia. The Ducks chose to match the deal and keep Carlsson in the fold.
But Bedard is a better hockey player, so the fact that the Blackhawks were able to get him under contract for $3 million less per season for the same amount of time makes this look like a fantastic deal for Chicago, as it appears that Bedard took a bit of a hometown discount to stay, rather than chasing every last dollar as Carlsson did.
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