Connor Bedard’s new deal in Chicago has only sharpened the spotlight on what Kent Hughes got done in Montreal with Ivan Demidov.
The Blackhawks star signed a five-year contract worth $15 million per season, a $75 million commitment that runs through 2031. On its face, that’s the kind of number that tells you exactly where Bedard stands in the league: a 21-year-old who put up 75 points last season and is the face of the Chicago Blackhawks.
But the real comparison comes when you line that deal up next to Demidov’s.
The Canadiens forward signed an eight-year contract in Montreal worth $73.2 million. Add in his final entry-level contract year, which is worth $940,833, and the full picture stretches to nine years and $74.15 million. That means Montreal has Demidov under control for longer than Chicago has Bedard, and for less money overall.
Chicago bought just one year of unrestricted free agency from Bedard. Montreal secured three years with Demidov.
In most cases, that kind of extra team control drives the price up. Here, the numbers flip the script completely.
Bedard will earn more over five seasons than Demidov will over nine.
That’s the part that makes Hughes look so sharp in this moment. If Demidov had waited, his price almost certainly would have climbed after the contracts signed by Bedard and Carlsson. The Canadiens got ahead of that wave.
There is one important wrinkle, though: Bedard and Carlsson had the threat of an offer sheet as leverage, and Demidov did not.
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