Connor Bedard didn’t let Leo Carlsson’s massive new deal shake his approach.
That’s the takeaway from Don Meehan, who said the Chicago Blackhawks star stayed committed to the same contract position even after the Philadelphia Flyers handed Carlsson a five-year, $90 million offer sheet before the Anaheim Ducks matched it. The deal reset the market for top young players, but it didn’t move Bedard off his stance.
“It’s certainly reflective of the changing economic climate in our game today,” Meehan said. “But as far as Connor was concerned, he was happy with the original position that we had submitted to Chicago and negotiated.”
Meehan said Bedard’s priority was finding the right balance: getting paid what he felt he had earned while still giving the Blackhawks room to build around him.
“He wanted the team to have as much leeway to make the team as effective and competitive as it could be,” Meehan said.
That’s how Bedard landed on a five-year, $75 million extension with a $15 million annual cap hit. The contract puts him behind only Carlsson and Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov on the NHL’s salary ladder.
The 21-year-old also backed up his value on the ice last season, finishing the 2025-26 campaign with 75 points in 69 games. Since arriving in the league in 2023, Bedard has piled up 203 points in 219 regular-season games and has led Chicago in scoring every year.
There was also speculation that the Carlsson offer sheet might push Bedard toward the same kind of move, but Meehan shut that down too.
“Connor made it clear even after the offer sheet - and before the offer sheet - that he had no intention of signing an offer sheet,” Meehan said.
“He was happy in Chicago, believed in the organization, believed in his teammates, and was quite content and happy to stay exactly where he was in Chicago.”
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson was equally bullish after the extension became official.
“Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL,” Davidson said. “… we’re excited for the incredible impact he’ll have in this next chapter of Blackhawks hockey.”
For Chicago, the deal locks in its franchise centerpiece through 2030-31. Bedard’s choice shows faith in the Blackhawks’ rebuild, and his $15 million cap hit still leaves some room for the team to keep shaping the roster around him.
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