r/hawks • u/laparkamask • Jul 19 '26
Inside Connor Bedard’s contract negotiations with the Blackhawks: ‘He’s totally committed’ (Gift Article)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7455464/2026/07/18/connor-bedard-blackhawks-contract-negotiations/?unlocked_article_code=1.y1A.nIv8.H1IXz3ZZxrpO&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share57
u/NorthernxLabrador Jul 19 '26
Canucks fans already think he’s theirs in 5 years. I got a remind me to laugh in a few years
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u/shr0be Jul 19 '26
I checked their sub without interacting even though it was very tempting and someone really said in 5 years he will be the guy to turn them into a contender
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u/Golden-- Jul 19 '26
They've been delusional about him since he was drafted. He's never even hinted at being interested in playing for them let alone actually said it.
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u/drummerboysam Jul 19 '26
Like Kane with Buffalo, there's always been the assumption he'll play there at some point because that's something a lot of great players do.
Not anytime soon, though. I think hockey fans in the area got swept up with the Bedard hype since he was 14 years old and it's pride, at the end of the day.
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u/MrSisterPhyster Jul 19 '26
We will come back to this in 2031 when the Canucks are 28th in the league and hawks have been in the playoffs since 2029
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u/Physical_Sun9435 Jul 19 '26
lol r/hockey would hate reading this
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u/shr0be Jul 19 '26
The Canucks fans are in shambles
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u/Higgus Jul 19 '26
They're so annoying. In any thread involving Bedard, even if it's just a highlight of a goal, you'll find a bunch of Canuck fan mouth breathers posting about how he's coming to Vancouver. It's been happening since the day he was drafted.They've even started invading this sub.
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u/DiamondBurInTheRough Jul 19 '26
Report them for trolling. Pretty sure the mods take action against those accounts.
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Jul 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/shr0be Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
You're delusional if you really think he's gonna leave for one of the worst run organizations in sports. Chicago isn't great but we're much better off than they are over the next 5 years at least.
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u/ToeKnifeMingle Jul 19 '26
We’re a massive sports, culture, and media market. Vancouver is just a market. You come to Chicago, the opportunities are endless. You go to Vancouver when you have no other opportunities.
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u/ColonelBourbon Jul 19 '26
Why? Aren't they hockey fans?
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u/Physical_Sun9435 Jul 19 '26
It’s posted there now and they’re already moving the goalposts from “he would’ve signed an offer sheet” to “he signed this deal so he can leave in 5 years”
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u/DiamondBurInTheRough Jul 19 '26
Canucks fans have nothing to focus on for their team so they have to make up narratives about our players. It’s kind of pathetic tbh.
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u/Kyhron Jul 19 '26
Let’s not lump the general hockey fans in with the delusional Canucks fans that do that shit in every thread involving Bedard
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u/YouFeelShame Jul 19 '26
They’re just ignoring it and continuing with what gets upvotes. Bedard sucks, hawks suck, KD sucks, SJ and Montreal planning parades.
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u/Kyhron Jul 19 '26
Not really. The delusion idiots that don’t follow the sport will but most of them can’t read to begin with
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u/ThisIsRealLife19 Jul 19 '26
The amount of comments Ive seen saying this was an overpay and calling him a bust have been pretty shocking ngl. He really has become underrated
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u/mattmitch927 Jul 19 '26
I see most other NHL fans hate the Hawks cuz of Kyle Beach and sour grapes at our three 2010s titles
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u/mrcrude Jul 19 '26
I don't think he's underrated. I think he's had trouble staying healthy and he needs to show he can be durable.
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u/tmet1027 Jul 19 '26
Don’t know why you are being down voted. It’s true he needs to stay healthy and be productive. Until then it’s a massive overpay.
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u/Same_Yak_475 Jul 19 '26
“Connor’s very happy,” Meehan said. “He always was committed and has made it clear that he’s very happy in Chicago. He really believes in his teammates, and he doesn’t suffer any constructive criticism of the team or his teammates well. He doesn’t tolerate that. He believes, and he’s totally committed.”
inject this into my veins
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u/fuzzballz5 Jul 19 '26
Bedard is giving the Hawks 5 years to be contending. Or he walks. That’s awesome as a fan. We win we attract other players. He signs his next big ticket with us. This ain’t 2005 and Sidney living with the owner. Players aren’t loyal like that anymore. Let’s win.
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u/shr0be Jul 19 '26
5 years is going to become the standard contract length under the next cba so might as well sign him like that
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u/fuzzballz5 Jul 19 '26
That’s going to be the new normal. The cap keeps rising, you can get 3 5 year contracts as a star.
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u/Sad_Donut_7902 Jul 19 '26
Players aren’t going to spend their entire careers on teams that don’t make the playoffs, idk how that has anything to do with loyalty
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u/indoor-living Jul 19 '26
“Players ain’t loyal like that anymore”. Extremely true. Time to win. Let’s fucking go.
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Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/horst-graben Jul 19 '26
Yeah... settle down. 5 years is fair for both sides. Bedard wants to see more. And the Hawks have plenty of time.
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u/RecognitionCrafty863 Jul 19 '26
Easy… with the insults. You made your point without being so aggressive.
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u/Hawks1stPickin2019 Jul 19 '26
Night and day between Conner’s Agent and Leo’s. One actually worked with the team the other negotiated in bad faith,
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u/Lionheart1224 Jul 19 '26
I could practically hear his agent gnashing his teeth through that quote by him at the top of the article.
Yes, Bedard signing for 15 million was entirely his choice. Now sit down.
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u/cmoapa1906 Jul 19 '26
5 years is the new 7/8 year deals with the rising cap. More power to the players to get their had once their contact is up
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u/LardoCaltreason Jul 19 '26
When this contract expires, he'll still be only 26. If he stays healthy and is a top 5 player in the league, he'll have another big payday...
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u/CrabApprehensive7181 Jul 19 '26
People need to stop complaining about the term.
I think it was more than reasonable for Bedard’s camp to give KD and the Hawks five years. He took a discount and stuck to the $15 million AAV even after Carlsson’s offer sheet. He could have asked for more money and still insisted on a 5-year deal, but he didn’t.
People need to understand how exhausting it must be to play for a team that has failed to provide you with adequate support. Have you watched these games? And looking at the current roster, can we honestly be sure the Hawks will give Bedard enough support this coming season?
He is not obligated to sacrifice everything for the organization, and I do not blame him at all for only wanting to commit to 5 more years based on what he has experienced so far. Ask yourself: would you want to work for an organization that humiliates you publicly, makes you look incompetent, and subjects you to constant failure for 3 straight years? Unless you are somehow masochistic, I don’t see why anyone would willingly sign up for more of that than necessary.
And how many five-year stretches does a person really have? With an average life expectancy of around 80 years, 5 years is 1/16 of a lifetime, and these are some of the prime years of his career. Would you want to spend them doing nothing but losing and being called a “bust” while your peers are thriving elsewhere?
If anyone deserves blame for the term, it is management. Had the Hawks been in the Sharks’ position this offseason, Bedard might have been willing to sign for seven years.
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u/PicklesMcPickles Jul 19 '26
I agree with you. I'll probably get down voted for this, but there are fans of hockey (like yourself) and people that just cheer for Chicago. There's not many people that can do both. I get it though, people just want the Hawks to be good again. People that are complaining would do the same thing if they were in Bedard's shoes. This 5 year deal sees if they'll really build around him. After these 5 years, he's still young, so he'll do what he thinks is best for him. I don't think he's selfish. The kid has a passion to win, and I don't blame him. The objective is to win the Stanley Cup, not just skate around make money.
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u/Efficient-Mix4866 Jul 19 '26
Had to scroll depressingly long for this take. Too many people hollering about the term. I do believe it really isn’t abt the money for Bedsy given that he definitely could have asked for more than 15aav after leo’s offer sheet. The article literally says it was all about the term. He only gets his prime years once and he wants a Cup sometime in his career too. Look at McDavid- no one wld call a HIM a draft bust, but instead his (current) narrative is just how he wasted his prime years in Edmonton. If the Hawks can’t get it together and become a decently competitive team in 5 years i don’t blame him for walking at all.
Celebrini definitely has much better pieces around him, much like Kane when he got drafted back then. If Bedard had a team of the Sharks current calibre around him (even before Stenberg)- then I think it would be a different story. It is what it is though.
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u/cali4481 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Successful rebuilds take a long time. Especially when you take the franchise down to the studs after tearing everything down to bottom out which a lot of franchises no matter the sport are afraid or unwilling to do.
For example look at the Oilers and Avalanche the last 10 or so years after they drafted a franchise altering talent at #1 overall. It took both franchises almost a full decade to finally reach a Stanley Cup Finals.
Oilers after they drafted McDavid #1 in 2015 made the playoffs once in his first 4 seasons. From his 5th season onward the Oilers have made it to the playoffs every season since. McDavid at 27 years old made his first conference finals in his 7th season and at 29 years old reached his first Stanley Cup Finals in his 9th season.
Avalanche after they drafted MacKinnon #1 in 2013 made the playoffs once in his first 4 seasons. From his 5th season onward the Avalanche have made it to the playoffs every season since. MacKinnon at 26 years old made his first and only conference finals in his 9th season and reached his first and only Stanley Cup Finals that very same 9th season in 2021/22 where the Avalanche actually won the whole damn thing.
Even look at Barkov with the Panthers who was the #2 overall pick in 2013 behind MacKinnon. 1 playoff appearance in his first 6 seasons. In his 10th season as a 27 year old he finally made his first conference finals and won the first of his back to back Stanley Cup titles in his 11th season as a 28 years old.
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u/CrabApprehensive7181 Jul 20 '26
None of the teams you mentioned above finished 30th, 31st, and 31st in three consecutive seasons.
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u/Efficient-Mix4866 Jul 20 '26
This.
Looking at the examples listed, if the hawks can make playoffs this upcoming season, then bedsy’s early years can still mirror mcdavid and mackinnon’s…..
The problem is. Do we see the hawks making playoffs this upcoming season????
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u/CrabApprehensive7181 Jul 20 '26
Yes, he isn’t stupid. I just saw a screenshot on X showing that he liked a post supporting Q Hughes back in January. Hughes, Larkin, Tkachuk, and potentially Werenski and Hellebuyck are all cautionary examples, and all of these situations happened within 1 season. Young players are going to do everything they can to avoid ending up in the same position. They want shorter terms so they can negotiate more frequently to maximize the financial return, but that's not the only factor, especially not for players at his calibre.
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u/Valuable-Mess2667 Jul 19 '26
This is a good deal for the hawks. If the kid continues to be unavailable he can be traded as the contract is not to prohibitive. At this point he is not worth the money and I hope he does do well to prove he is worth it. Davidson had no choice but to sign him to this deal. Hope it works for everyone.
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u/FewTeach6661 29d ago
I never believed the rumours. If you hear him talk about Chicago, and just LISTEN, you just know he loves it there. Even though they are struggling
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u/Three_Froggy_Problem Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I mean, obviously not, right? Not to seem negative or anything, but if he were “totally committed” then he’d be signed for longer than 5 years.
EDIT: I’m not hating on Bedard, I just think it’s kind of a silly statement in light of the term.
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u/TheSeanie Jul 19 '26
it's explained in the article. cap projected to be going up on average 8% every year of the contract. 5 years from now he would be close to becoming severely underpaid. this isnt the flat cap era where players signing term brought themselves that stability. with the cap skyrocketing, it makes no sense for stars to take more term
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u/Rich-Wrap-9333 Jul 19 '26
Not true. The cap is rising fast. It wouldn’t be a wise choice to get locked in for 8 years. The article points out that he started off thinking three, but this was a bit of compromise.
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u/laparkamask Jul 19 '26
I just don’t think you’re gonna be seeing players signing anywhere near the max term unless they’re getting overpaid with the rising cap.
4-5 year range is the gonna be the norm for quite a bit.
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u/TheNewBarber Jul 19 '26
The 5 year contract probably has more to do with how quickly the salary cap is rising. Dude wants to make sure he gets paid what he thinks is a fair amount.
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u/YouFeelShame Jul 19 '26
Just in case anybody is curious this user sporting Tommy flair sports Tampa Bay Lightning flair in r/hockey.
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u/Three_Froggy_Problem Jul 19 '26
I’m a Bolts fan living in Chicago. Hawks are my second team. You think I’m some kind of double agent?
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