The upcoming restricted free agent class in the NHL is stacked with big-name players, but none are more prominent than Connor Bedard.
Bedard’s first three years in the league have already flown by, and now with the rising salary cap playing into his favor, it sounds as if the 2023 first-overall pick is about to cash in with a massive new deal.
According to insider David Pagnotta, the average annual value could come in anywhere from $14 to $16 million.
“The negotiations are ongoing. They’re going back and forth. Different variations, different options are being discussed back and forth. Going full-term, going to take him to the end of his RFA status right before that final year before he can get to UFA, so he’s still controllable. And the dollars will dictate what those terms are going to be or I guess vice versa. You know, you’re hearing $14 million a year and $15M, $16M, depends on what the term is,”
The 20-year-old Bedard is a pending RFA having just played out the third and final year of his three-year, $2.85 million entry-level contract signed with the Blackhawks in 2023. He posted a career-high 75 points (30 goals, 45 assists) in just 69 games played this season.
Whatever Bedard wants, Chicago will almost certainly be willing to pay, given that he’s the face of the franchise and everything they are building revolves around him.
A $14–$16 million contract sounds rather large on the surface for a player who has yet to even hit 80 points in a season, but the salary cap is expected to continue to skyrocket moving forward, so fans are going to have to alter their thought process on new contracts.
Because of that, it may even turn out to look like a steal toward the latter half of the deal as Bedard truly reaches his prime and becomes what the Blackhawks hope and envision: one of the best players in the world.
