The Chicago Blackhawks have been at the forefront of NHL headlines over the last 24 hours after extending 21-year-old Frank Nazar to a seven-year, $46,199,937 contract on Thursday.
In the aftermath of that deal, the attention has turned to their other extension-eligible forward in Connor Bedard, though it’s a bit more difficult to determine what the first overall pick from 2023 would be worth on a long-term contract.
On one hand, he has the potential to emerge as one of the best players in the world and a face of the sport. On the other hand, his first two years in the NHL have been pretty underwhelming.
Because of that, both Bedard and the Blackhawks appear prepared to let things play out into next season, which NHL insider Frank Seravalli confirmed during his weekly B/R Open Ice segment.
“He was eligible to sign an extension as of July 1; that hasn’t happened yet. I think both sides seem pretty content in sitting back and waiting to see how this all-important third year plays out after a bit of a disappointing sophomore season,” Seravalli said.
“Does this $6.6 million number for Frank Nazar, given that he kind of outplayed Connor Bedard, does that suppress Bedard’s next contract? If he was thinking in the $9-10 million range if he’s going long-term, does this push that number down? Hard to say, because there’s a real likelihood that Bedard is going to play this out and see how year three goes before signing that deal; there’s no rush to do it from either end. It’s going to be a really interesting conversation,” Seravalli added.
Connor Bedard was eligible to sign an extension on July 1, but both player and team are comfortable seeing how his 3rd season plays out first, according to @frank_seravalli pic.twitter.com/BESU5cNhzx
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) August 22, 2025
Bedard put up 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 82 games last season, seeing a drop-off in per-game production from his Calder Trophy-winning rookie campaign.
Bedard will have a lot to play for next season
Not only will Connor Bedard be entering a contract year in 2025-26, but he’ll also be looking to showcase himself as worthy of a spot on Team Canada’s 2026 Winter Olympic roster.
Bedard was one of the 42 players invited to their upcoming orientation camp, which will be a good opportunity for him to be around some of the game’s best.
While the recently turned 20-year-old has not yet lived up to the lofty expectations that were placed on him as a prospect, we should remember just how young he is and how much room there still is for growth in the years to come.
