The Devils broke the offer sheet ice; should this make Blackhawks fans worried about Connor Bedard?

Chicago Blackhawks fans may have something to fear about this offseason: The dreaded offer sheet In particular, we’re talking about someone having the gall to extend Connor Bedard an offer sheet this summer..

That situation is one that has been in the back of some pundits’ minds. Since the Blackhawks did not lock Bedard up before July 1, the situation opened the door for someone to step in and try to horn in on Bedard.

But the alarm levels rose when the New Jersey Devils extended an offer sheet to Utah Mammoth forward Barret Hayton. Hayton signed it, leaving the Mammoth with seven days to match the offer or take the compensation.

And that’s where the crux of the matter lies.

The Devils signed Hayton to a one-year, $4.78 million contract. That’s a nice raise from his $2.65 million contract from last season.

As for the compensation, the Mammoth can get a second-round pick if they let Hayton walk.

That brings us to Bedard. If there’s a team out there with the audacity to make such a move, it wouldn’t be for $4.77 AAV. The deal would be much more substantial.

The upper limit of the compensation table is four first-round picks for contracts of $11.939 million or more.

Bedard is not going to get that. If there’s a team out there willing to make this move, they’ll come in well above the threshold to send those four first-rounders to Chicago. Otherwise, Kyle Davidson would match the price faster than he can read the new contract.

So, would letting Bedard go for four first-round picks be worth it?

If the Blackhawks were able to allow such a thing, it would send an awful message to the fanbase. This is a team that doesn’t want to compete with Bedard. And it would most likely set the rebuild back.

Perhaps Blackhawks know something we don’t

Now, let me play devil’s advocate (pun intended) for a moment here. Let’s assume the Blackhawks are willing to let this situation unfold, hence landing the compensation.

Chicago could let this happen because there’s something they know that none of us do. Perhaps there’s a concern about Bedard’s long-term performance. Perhaps the organization doesn’t think he’s worth all that money on a multi-year deal. The Blackhawks might even think that Bedard isn’t going to be the superstar they hoped he would be.

Those are all major ifs, none of which have any tangible evidence to them. But the fact that the Blackhawks haven’t inked Bedard at this point does raise some concerns about the situation.

There’s no question that the Bedard camp wants to cash in. And there’s no doubt the Blackhawks are looking to do what’s best for the organization’s long-term security. So, there’s a gap there that needs to be filled.

In the meantime, there could be a chance that someone out there pulls off a stunning move and brings in one of the most promising young forwards in the game.

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