- Connor Bedard says he never entertained an offer sheet, even after Leo Carlsson landed a record one earlier this summer
- The Blackhawks star signed a five-year, $75 million extension last weekend and calls Chicago the only place he wants to play
- Read below for Bedard’s full comments and what his decision means for Chicago’s rebuild
Connor Bedard had the leverage to make things interesting. He never touched it.
The Blackhawks star said this week that an offer sheet was never on the table for him, even after the Ducks matched Leo Carlsson’s record-setting offer sheet earlier in the summer. Bedard was asked whether watching Carlsson cash in made him think twice about his own situation in Chicago.
“For me, I kind of let them know from the start that it wasn’t something I was ever going to do,” Bedard said. “The risk of not being a Blackhawk wasn’t worth any amount of money.”
Blackhawks reporter Charlie Roumeliotis passed along the comments:
Bedard put pen to paper on a five-year, $75 million extension the weekend before, a deal that carries a $15 million cap hit and ranks third in the league behind only Carlsson and Kirill Kaprizov. He signed it the same weekend he turned 21.
We put the line on a graphic because it summed up his whole offseason stance:
There’s no hedging in it. Carlsson reset the market for young stars when Philadelphia threw an offer sheet at him and Anaheim matched, and plenty of people around the league figured Bedard might use that number as a lever. He shut the door before anyone could push it open.
Loyalty is one thing. A reason to be fired up is another. Bedard also talked about the idea of skating next to Patrick Kane, who signed back in Chicago this month.
Chicago went from a rebuild with one franchise piece to a rebuild with that piece locked up long term and a future Hall of Famer back in the room. That’s a different summer than the one Blackhawks fans walked into.
Bedard is still recovering from left shoulder surgery and isn’t expected back until November. When he does return, he’ll do it in the only sweater he ever wanted to wear.
