The last formality in the Blackhawks’ Summer of Bedard is complete.
The Hawks signed No. 1 overall draft pick Connor Bedard on Monday — his 18th birthday — to a standard three-year entry-level contract that will carry the maximum salary-cap hit of $950,000 set by the NHL.
Performance bonuses, however, could net Bedard up to $4.45 million this coming season. The bonuses range from some he’ll likely attain (such as finishing in the top six of Hawks forwards in ice time per game) to some he might (such as 60 points) to some he’s unlikely to (such as a top-10 finish in several league scoring categories), according to Puckpedia.
“Signing Connor is a huge step in building a new foundation for our organization,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. “We’re excited to see him grow and play a large role in pushing our team forward for many years to come.”
Bedard is all set to join the Hawks for training camp, lock down his penciled-in spot on the first line and make his NHL debut Oct. 10 against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
“It’s hard to make the team. I’m not going to say I’m a lock on the team or anything,” Bedard said humbly on July 1. “I couldn’t give you percentages on if I will or not, so we’ll see. But I’m going to try to do everything in my power to hopefully make that happen.”
Said coach Luke Richardson: “He’s another player, just like anyone else. But he’s obviously got high-end talent. We know that. And that’s going to be evaluated on how we plan our systems going forward. And that’s not just five-on-five, but special teams is going to be crucial this year to get better at.”
The Hawks’ rebuild remains far from finished — they’re likely to be a bottom-10 team in the league again this coming season — but they would be wise to take advantage in other ways of Bedard’s small cap hit. He presumably will be due a massive raise as a restricted free agent in 2026.
With a projected $14.3 million in cap space remaining for 2023-24, according to Capfriendly, the Hawks still have more room to take on other teams’ undesirable contracts — either before the season or during it.
Meanwhile, the 60-point performance bonus coincidentally sets an interesting over-under line for Bedard’s rookie production. He’s the far-and-away preseason favorite for the Calder Trophy, but he probably won’t reach his full potential immediately.
Other acclaimed No. 1 overall picks provide some historical context. Connor McDavid produced 48 points in 45 games — an 87-point prorated pace over 82 games — for the Oilers in 2015-16. Auston Matthews produced 69 points in 82 games for the Maple Leafs in 2016-17. Jack Hughes and Alexis Lafreniere each produced only 21 points in their 61- and 56-game rookie seasons.
Playing alongside Taylor Hall should give Bedard a bit of help, but he’ll still have a relatively underwhelming supporting cast. Whether he can stay healthy for all 82 games also will make a big difference.
NOTES: The Hawks’ arbitration hearing with restricted free agent Philipp Kurashev is scheduled for Thursday. Both sides probably would prefer to agree to a new contract before then to avoid the belittling process involved in arbitration that sometimes harms team-player relationships.
• Since the Hawks have only 12 defensemen under contract in the organization — and one of those, Kevin Korchinski, isn’t eligible for the AHL — Rockford recently made a couple of signings to supplement its defensive depth. Defensemen Josh Maniscalco (formerly in the Penguins’ organization) and Josh Healey (an AHL journeyman) inked AHL-only deals.
