The pros and cons of Connor Bedard's next contract

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has a big offseason ahead of him. Signing Connor Bedard to his new contract is at the top of his summer checklist. Some fans are getting anxious that a deal hasn’t happened yet, as there hasn’t been much chatter about it from reliable sources. Honestly, the fact that we haven’t heard anything besides speculation isn’t a bad thing. To me, that means negotiations are progressing. You usually only hear things when one side isn’t happy and puts something out there to apply pressure on the other side.

There is no doubt that Bedard will get paid, and the Blackhawks will do everything they can to keep him happy and secure. The trick is, what kind of deal do they want to give him, a long-term max contract or a bridge deal that expires before he can become an unrestricted free agent?

Lock Him Up

I think most fans and the Blackhawks front office want to sign Bedard to an eight-year contract. They have until Sept. 1 to do so before the new CBA kicks in, and seven years becomes the maximum length for any deal. Signing the young star for eight years likely means the second half of the contract becomes a bargain. As the salary cap goes up, and, hopefully, Bedard’s production increases, what he signed for in 2026 will become a great value.

AFP Analytics specializes in contract projections based on player performance and market dictates. They projected a $98.9 million salary over an eight-year contract, for a $12.3 million AAV. That sounds like a lot now, but if he’s the player we saw before his December injury for the duration of the deal, it’s a steal for the Blackhawks.

However, he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the contract, about to turn 29. He will undoubtedly be looking for another big score, and if the Blackhawks’ rebuild has not been a success, he could be looking to chase a Stanley Cup elsewhere. These aren’t things that Davidson is worried about right now, and neither should anyone else. If you’re constantly worried about a player leaving, don’t bother signing him.

A Bridge to the Future

The other option for Bedard is signing a three-year bridge deal. That is the longest contract he can sign where he’d still be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal. He will become an unrestricted free agent after his seventh season in the league. This is the deal that his agent probably wants.

AFP projects a three-year bridge deal to be worth $28.14 million, with a $9.8 million AAV. So why would Bedard and his agent want about $2.5 million less per year for the next three seasons? Simple. After three years, he can negotiate a new long-term deal that could be worth a lot more than the $12.3 million he’d be getting for the next five years on that eight-year contract he signed. Yes, that’s betting on yourself, but Bedard has no problem doing that.

At the end of the day, it ultimately doesn’t matter which route the Blackhawks go, just as long as it gets done….which it will. Personally, I’d prefer the bridge deal because you’d potentially have Bedard under contract for 10 years as opposed to eight before free agency becomes a concern.

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