Connor Bedard agreed to a five-year contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, carrying a $15 million average annual value and keeping him in Chicago through the 2030-31 season. The deal, announced a day after Bedard turned 21, buys out only one year of unrestricted free agency and ranks third in AAV behind Leo Carlsson at $18 million and Kirill Kaprizov at $17 million. Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson praised Bedard for establishing himself as an elite NHL player and for lifting the young core, and chairman and CEO Danny Wirtz said the team intended to keep Bedard long term. The extension follows a breakthrough 2025-26 stretch in which Bedard had 19 goals and 25 assists in his first 31 games before a shoulder injury; he totaled 11 goals and 20 assists over his final 38 games and is expected to return in early November. The contract ended speculation about an offer-sheet scenario after Leo Carlsson signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers that Anaheim matched on July 9.
