Connor Bedard ‘very happy’ with new contract, Blackhawks’ summer additions

On Monday, Blackhawks star Connor Bedard had a $9.8 million signing bonus hitting his back account, an uncomfortable left shoulder dangling by his side and a sunny morning in Vancouver unfolding on the green trees behind him.

That’s two reasons to be happy versus one reason to be unhappy. It added up to a lively first meeting with reporters since signing his new five-year contract two days ago.

“I’m very happy with the amount of money I’m making. It’s a lot,” Bedard said, chuckling, before reiterating he didn’t consider Ducks star Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet comparable to his situation.

“Like I’ve said so much — and it’s not anything fake — Chicago is really the only place I want to play. [That comes from] seeing the growth of our young guys and just how good of a group we are in the room, how tight it is, how much fun we have. I’m very happy to get this deal signed and just focus on the team.”

Bedard described the negotiation process as not stressful, certainly less so than his decision to undergo surgery after his “frustrating” and fluky shoulder injury July 2.

“It’s a terrible part of the game,” he said. “But for me, to have this next little bit and go through that adversity and try to get stronger mentally, that’s how I’m looking at it. And then [when I] come back…[I’m] not going to be scared.”

He still plans to spend most of the rest of the offseason in Vancouver with his family and “a good team of people that the staff in Chicago feels comfortable with.” Right now, his days are filled with physiotherapy sessions and workouts designed “to get this thing back to 100% as quick as possible.”

Come training camp — which should start around Sept. 16 — he will join the Hawks in Chicago, and he thinks he could be cleared to skate individually by then.

“We want to take a big step this year,” he said. “We want to be a playoff team, and that’s our only goal.”

Bedard’s belief in the Hawks’ organizational direction is steadfast, as his agent Don Meehan emphasized this weekend, and Bedard repeatedly brought up Monday his excitement about the team’s offseason additions.

“[Bowen Byram is] going to be one of the best ‘D’-men in the league,” Bedard said. “When you play behind Cale [Makar] and [Rasmus] Dahlin, it’s not easy to take their spots. [It’s big] for him to get that opportunity to be that No. 1 and prove himself in that way, and he’s going to do it. He’s one of the most skilled players in the league. His motivation to prove that is unbelievable.”

Bedard also went out of his way to mention Jordan Greenway, Ian Cole and Cole Smith, the latter two having previously said Bedard reached out to them right after they signed.

“I think Ian Cole probably landed the most cross-checks on me out of anyone else in my life,” Bedard said. “But now he’s my teammate and we’re both going to go to war for each other, which is the beautiful thing about hockey.”

There’s one more Hawks addition potentially coming: Patrick Kane, whom Chris Chelios has said is deciding between the Hawks and Sabres. And that idea made Bedard’s eyes light up even more than they already were.

“I can’t imagine [Kane’s] first game back at the [United Center], the reaction he’d get and how much juice that would bring to not only our team but our fans, as well,” Bedard said. “That would be incredible to play with him and learn from him.

“You [can] talk about the legacy aspect of it, but…he would make us a way better team. He’s still an amazing player. I don’t know if this is the best pitch, but hopefully he comes back and we can play together.”