Blackhawks Lock Up Connor Bedard With $75 Million Contract Extension

The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a five-year, $75 million contract extension with Connor Bedard.

The team announced the deal Saturday, two days after Bedard turned 21. He had been a restricted free agent heading into the offseason, and general manager Kyle Davidson made re-signing him the club's top priority.

"Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL," Davidson said in a statement released by the team. "He utilizes all aspects of his game to not only be a constant threat, but to make the players around him better every time he steps on the ice. Connor's strong work ethic and determination to always improve his game has set an extraordinary standard for our young core."

The contract includes a full no-movement clause in its final year. It was finalized 10 days after Bedard underwent surgery on his left shoulder, an injury he suffered while skating informally with a group of NHL players in western Canada. He is expected to miss the start of next season while he recovers.

Bedard has been the face of the Blackhawks' rebuild since Chicago selected him first overall in the 2023 draft. He debuted that October and won the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. In his second season he played all 82 games and posted 23 goals and 44 assists. This past season he set career highs with 30 goals and 45 assists despite appearing in only 69 games, having missed 12 games with a right shoulder injury. He also lost nearly six weeks of his rookie season to a broken jaw.

"He's so important to our team," Davidson said back in April. "He took such a big step forward this year in every facet."

The Blackhawks finished this past season 29-39-14, an 11-point improvement over the previous year but still well short of playoff contention. Chicago has finished 31st in the NHL's overall standings in each of the last three seasons and hasn't made the playoffs since the pandemic-shortened, expanded-format postseason after 2020.

The front office has been building around Bedard through trades and depth signings rather than one big splash. On June 23 the team acquired defenseman Bowen Byram from Buffalo, and in May it signed forward prospect Roman Kantserov. The extension keeps Bedard under contract as Davidson continues to add players around him.

The Blackhawks now face a decision on team leadership. The team traded away its entire captaincy group in March, and Bedard was elevated to alternate captain in the aftermath. Team officials and teammates have signaled he is the presumptive choice to become the franchise's 36th captain.

"I think that he has every leadership quality like I was just talking about to be a captain in this league," forward Oliver Moore said in April. "He brings it every day."

For now, Bedard's focus is recovery. His shoulder surgery has already pushed back his timeline for training camp, and the Blackhawks will open next season without their franchise player on the ice. A decision on the captaincy is expected once Bedard is back skating with the team.