The No. 1 pick by Chicago in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bedard has led the Blackhawks in points each of his first three seasons and has 203 points (75 goals, 128 assists) in 219 regular-season games. He won the 2024 Calder Trophy voted as the NHL rookie of the year after he had 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games.
A restricted free agent, Bedard had been eligible to sign another contract with Chicago since July 1, 2025.
"Obviously, it's a relief and nice to get it done for myself and for the team, but I don't think there wasn't any stress involved with it," Bedard said Monday. "We both knew that it wasn't going to take too many calls or meetings to get it done, so obviously very happy to get it done though.
"I think it came to that pretty quick and both of us (he and the team) feel pretty good about the length of it. I think you see that more with maybe the five-year deal coming out of the first one, so I think we were both comfortable with it. I'm happy with where it ended up, of course."
The Blackhawks announced July 8 that Bedard will miss the start of the season after having surgery on his left shoulder.
"It's feeling good," Bedard said. "Obviously almost two weeks from the surgery now and just kind of grinding and doing everything I can to hopefully make it as good and speedy as I can. Obviously still pretty early but it's feeling good. So, just kind of day by day."
He missed 12 games last season after sustaining an upper-body injury while taking a face-off with one second remaining in a 3-2 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12. Then-Blues center Brayden Schenn went in for a stick lift and knocked into Bedard, who fell backward to the ice. He was grabbing his right shoulder as he headed to the locker room.
Though he played all 82 games in 2024-25, Bedard missed 14 games the previous season as a rookie, from Jan. 7 to Feb. 13, 2024, with a fractured jaw sustained in a 4-2 loss at the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 5.
"Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL," general manager Kyle Davidson said Saturday. "He utilizes all aspects of his game to not only be a constant threat, but to make the players around him better every time he steps on the ice. Connor’s strong work ethic and determination to always improve his game has set an extraordinary standard for our young core, and we’re excited for the incredible impact he’ll have in this next chapter of Blackhawks hockey."
Bedard also addressed the possibility of receiving an offer sheet from another team, like Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson, whose offer sheet by the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this offseason was eventually matched by the Ducks, resulting in a contract with an average annual value of $18 million.
"I mean, I'm very happy with the amount of money I'm making. It's a lot," Bedard said. "I think just with that, obviously the offer sheet's different as well. With a team trying to take a guy, it's going to be a different value. For me, that didn't change anything. I was thinking, like I've said so much, Chicago's kind of really the only place I want to play. Just seeing the growth of our young guys and just how good of a group we are in the room and how tight it is, how much fun we have. I'm very happy to get this deal signed and just focus on the team and excited to get back and get going."
NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers contributed to this report
