- Bedard has 203 points in his first 219 games, the exact total Patrick Kane put up in Chicago
- Both stars signed five-year deals coming off their entry-level contracts
- Read below for what the Kane blueprint could mean for Bedard’s next payday
Connor Bedard’s start in Chicago is looking a little familiar.
Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times laid out the parallel after Bedard’s new deal. Bedard has 203 points in his first 219 NHL games. Patrick Kane put up the exact same 203 points across his first 219 games with the Blackhawks.
The overlap runs past the scoresheet. Bedard just signed a five-year, $75 million extension with a $15 million cap hit. Kane did the same kind of thing off his ELC, signing a five-year deal worth a $6.3 million cap hit starting in 2010-11.
Kane cashed in the second time around. He landed an eight-year contract at a $10.5 million cap hit in 2015-16, right in the prime of a career that ended with three Stanley Cups. Bedard’s shorter term now lines him up for a possibly gigantic payday in 2031, even though the Hawks reportedly pushed for the eight-year max.
Bedard took a real step in 2025-26. He hit 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games and tied for 20th in the NHL in points per game, and that was with an injury-hampered January and no real quality linemates alongside him.
His agent, Don Meehan, went into the details of the negotiations and the shoulder rehab in a new piece from Pope:
One thing that does not match up is the start of the season. Bedard had left shoulder surgery earlier this month after a fluky injury while skating in his hometown of Vancouver, and he is slated back in early to mid-November.
Kane’s blueprint in Chicago ended with three championship banners. That is the bar the Blackhawks are chasing with Bedard.
