The NHL offseason is in full swing, but the Chicago Blackhawks remain in a curious position following their highly-publicized trade of the fourth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft to the Buffalo Sabres, along with Louis Crevier, in return for Bowen Byram and Jordan Greenway.
And while the Blackhawks also traded away forward Andre Burakovsky to the Ottawa Senators, their biggest matter of internal business yet to be sorted out is a new contract for star forward Connor Bedard.
Bedard, who was taken with the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft after the Blackhawks won the Draft Lottery, remains a restricted free agent without a contract for next season.
But according to recent speculations, Bedard’s camp is hoping to make Blackhawks history when he finally affixes his signature to the dotted line.
Chicago Blackhawks Forward Connor Bedard Reportedly Wants $17 Million Per Season
According to Insider Irfaan Gaffar of The Fourth Period, Bedard is hoping to get paid the exact same amount per season that Minnesota Wild superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov makes, which is $17 million.
“Connor Bedard is in for a payday. He saw Bowen Byram get a payday. I think that Connor Bedard is looking at Kirill Kaprizov money,” Gaffar said. “I think that is a situation and that is a number that he’s looking at, and I do strongly believe that he thinks he deserves it. I’m not entirely sure the Chicago Blackhawks as an organization are close to that number when discussing Connor Bedard right now.”
Meanwhile, Blackhawks Insider Ben Pope speculated that Bedard could potentially be looking for an even higher number.
“Now, Bedard has a data point indicating he might be worth more than $18 million per year in this fast-rising cap environment,” Pope wrote. “His agents could technically demand as much as $20.8 million.”
Kaprizov’s salary cap hit of $17 million is the highest in the NHL. Bedard, who is coming off his third season in the NHL, scored 30 goals with 45 assists while being limited to 69 games in 2025-26.
Could Connor Bedard Be Signed To An Offer Sheet?
Meanwhile, until Bedard signs a new contract, he’s also eligible to receive an offer sheet from an opposition NHL club.
According to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, there are two burning questions that he would have if he were in charge of Chicago, especially given Bedard’s recent injury suffered during an offseason training session in Vancouver.
“If I ran the Chicago Blackhawks, I would have been at the Bedard household on Saturday morning,” Friedman said. “I would have said, A, how’s your shoulder? And B, do we have to worry about an offer sheet here at all?”
But he continued:
“Now, I don’t know that the Blackhawks have any reason to be concerned here,” he said. “And I think, generally, the player and team have an excellent relationship. I think he’s very happy to be a member of that organization. I just personally wouldn’t chance anything anymore… If I’m the Blackhawks, I’m all over it.”
Will Bedard have a new contract in place by the time Training Camp begins in September?
Report: Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard Seeking History With Next Contract