Connor Bedard, Blackhawks Agree to Massive Contract Extension Ahead of NHL Season, Details Revealed

The Chicago Blackhawks are getting another five years to build a playoff contender around Connor Bedard.

Bedard is signing a five-year, $75 million contract extension with the Blackhawks, the team announced Saturday. He'll become one of the highest-paid players in the NHL (by average annual value) behind the Anaheim Ducks' Leo Carlsson ($18M AAV) and Minnesota Wild's Kirill Kaprizov ($17M AAV).

Bedard will miss the beginning of the first season on his new contract after undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason.

The 20-year-old previously hit restricted free agency after playing out the final year of his rookie deal in 2025-26.

He finished last season having recorded a career-high 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games.

That marked the third straight campaign during which Bedard has led the Blackhawks in scoring, although the team has yet to finish any higher than last in the Central Division over that span.

Even with Bedard's contract on the books, the Blackhawks are projected by PuckPedia to rank among NHL teams with the most salary cap space available next season.

That's in part thanks to the rise of the salary cap, which climbed by $8.5 million this offseason to top $100 million for the first time in league history.

That could provide enough room for the Blackhawks to take a swing at acquiring more help for Bedard in free agency or the trade market.

The Hawks are also looking for young players like Artyom Levshunov and Anton Frondell to continue developing as Bowen Byram, acquired in exchange for the No. 4 pick of the 2026 draft, slots immediately into Chicago's defensive core.

The Blackhawks will hope those players and potential offseason additions can set up Bedard to lead this team back into the playoffs for the first time since the era of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Bedard lived up to the hype he earned as the top pick of the 2023 draft with his Calder Trophy-winning rookie season, during which he led all first-year players with 22 goals and 61 points despite being limited to 68 games with a broken jaw.

He posted 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) while playing all 82 games of his second NHL campaign, then reached career-high production totals despite again missing time to injury last season.

This extension could be seen as a vote of confidence from the Blackhawks that Bedard will take the next step toward developing into a top-tier NHL center once he is able to make his return from shoulder surgery later this fall.