What The NHL's Salary Cap Raise Mean for Connor Bedard's Next Contract
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The Chicago Blackhawks and Danny Wirtz lucked out in 2023 by drafting Center Connor Bedard, and now he's due a raise.
The Blackhawks will have to extend Connor Bedard eventually, as he's in year two of his three-year entry-level contract.
Besides his sponsorships, his NHL contract pays him $950K AAV, and after winning the Calder Trophy in 2024, and scoring 61 points it's assumed he'll be rewarded handsomely.
The NHL salary cap is expected to be raised by a total of $7.5 million in 2025-2026 bringing the Blackhawks' a total of $95.5 million to work with.
The NHL and NHLPA provided that Friday, revealing a three-year estimated payroll range with the cap ceiling at $95.5 million for the 2025-26 season, $104 million for 2026-27 and $113.5 million for 2027-28.
So what percentage of the salary cap should the Blackhawks expect to allocate to Bedard?
The negotiations with the generational talent can't officially begin until July 1st, and won't be able to be inked until the year after his ELC ends which is in 2026 the team has prepped for his new deal.
Pay attention to the cap figures for 2026-2027, and 2027-2028, as that's when Bedard's new deal should be negotiated and signed in 2026.
With another $8.5 million raise in 2026-2027, what kind of deal should we expect to see Bedard sign with the Hawks?
While he started the season in a slump, he's rebounded to show he's still the generational talent they drafted, scoring 45 points in 51 games.
He could wait until his third season to begin negotiating a contract that could reward him for his offensive talent.
The Hawks will have to keep in mind that Bedard has boosted attendance at home games, as his impact extends beyond the ice.
We could look to 2017-2018, when Connor McDavid signed a $12.5 million deal, allocating 15.72% of the cap to pay their elite center--an approach Bedard and his agent might use to maximize his value.
Blackhawks fans could expect to command at least 13-15% of the teams' cap in 2026-2027, which could amount to $13.5 million to $15.6 million.
Or we could use a center like Jack Hughes which could be a better comparison, as the Devils gave him an eight-year, $8 million cap hit, which allocated 9.7% of the team's space to him.
Either way, he is likely to be rewarded as an elite NHL forward when the time comes to sign him.
How much do you think GM Kyle Davidson will pay him?
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