Watch: Connor Bedard on video
Connor Bedard‘s next contract now has a number attached to it. Irfaan Gaffar reported on The Fourth Period’s DFO Rundown that Bedard’s camp is seeking an average annual value of around $17 million — the same figure Kirill Kaprizov earns in Minnesota — on the deal that will replace the entry-level contract that expired at the end of June. The report lands days after the Chicago Blackhawks announced Bedard underwent left shoulder surgery that will sideline him four months.
The gap between the two sides is real. The Fourth Period reports GM Kyle Davidson is believed to have opened talks in the $10 million to $12 million range. Bedard, a restricted free agent without arbitration rights, put up 30 goals and 45 assists last season and turns 21 on July 17. His camp’s case got stronger when Anaheim matched Leo Carlsson’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet from Philadelphia — an $18 million AAV that now leads the league and resets what a young franchise center costs.
Why it matters
The surgery complicates the picture without changing the fundamentals. Jack Bushman of Chicago Hockey Now examined whether the injury will affect negotiations and doesn’t expect the Blackhawks to play hardball with their franchise player, though he speculated the team could point to Bedard’s injury history to argue for a lower cap hit. Chicago has the room either way — just over $29.3 million in cap space, per The Fourth Period, even after signing Bowen Byram to a six-year, $75 million deal.
The development question is the one that matters here. Chicago spent three years assembling young talent around Bedard, and the first month of 2026-27 will now be played without him. A signed long-term deal before camp would let the organization treat November as a return date rather than a negotiation deadline. An unsigned Bedard rehabbing into the season would put daily contract questions on top of a rebuild that finally has momentum. Spector’s Hockey notes Bedard is believed to have no interest in offer sheets from rival clubs, which removes the scenario that burned Anaheim and gives Davidson room to negotiate without a clock running.
For fantasy purposes, the contract standoff doesn’t touch Bedard’s dynasty value — he remains a top-tier keeper asset whoever signs the checks. Redraft players should price in a missed October and likely early November, roughly the season’s first month, and treat him as a draft-day discount rather than an early-round pick in leagues without injured reserve flexibility.
