He may be missing the start of the upcoming NHL season with a shoulder injury, but Connor Bedard is sticking around in Chicago for years to come.
The Blackhawks announced on Saturday that they had signed Bedard to a five-year deal at $15 million per year.
And that will have Blackhawks fans breathing a sigh of relief.
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Bedard was a restricted free agent after completing the final season of his rookie deal last season. That meant the Blackhawks had the exclusive rights to negotiate a new deal with him.
That should never have really been an issue, but offer sheets have been in the news quite a bit this season after the Philadelphia Flyers threw a giant $18 million-a-year deal at Anaheim Ducks star Leo Carlsson.
That meant the Ducks had to match it or lose Carlsson in return for Draft compensation. In the end, they matched, but it puts them on the back foot for other RFAs they need to sign, like Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke.
Bedard would be an offer sheet target, and while he would need to agree to it, it was still in the Blackhawks’ best interest to get an extension done ASAP and lock up their franchise centerpiece.
And I think it’s a deal both sides will be pleased with.
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Bedard’s NHL career has been a little up-and-down due to injury, but he has shown flashes of the kind of greatness people expected when he got to the NHL.
Given Carlsson’s $18 million AAV, Chicago has to like that they were able to get Bedard at $15 million AAV.
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Now, Bedard will need to put up numbers that justify the deal. According to Puckpedia, the deal carries a full no-move clause but only in the fifth and final year of the deal.
That means if, for whatever reason, things don’t work out, the Blackhawks can deal him without having to go through the headache of him waiving his no-move clause or giving the thumbs-up to any trades.