Analyzing Connor Bedard's contract extension with Blackhawks

When this contract expires following the 2030-31 season, Bedard will be eligible for unrestricted free agency, while they could have theoretically gone as long as eight years and bought out three more years of UFA eligibility. 

Is that a strategic move on Bedard's part? Is it a challenge to the Blackhawks to make sure they build a winning, competitive team around him over the next five years?

He is entering year four of his career, and the Blackhawks are only marginally better than they were in the year before his arrival, when they pretty much tanked an entire season to position themselves to have the better NHL Draft lottery odds to get him. 

At some point, they need to win.

At some point, he is going to want to win.

If it does not happen over the next five years, he would be in a prime position to walk in unrestricted free agency, in the prime of his career, and cash in with a good team. 

2. It is probably an overpay now, but Bedard can play his way into it

Even under a rising salary cap in the coming seasons, this is still very likely an overpay in the short-term for the Blackhawks. 

Not a terrible overpay.

Not a cap-crushing overpay.

But at least a little bit of an overpay. 

Bedard is a legitimate, bona fide first-line player offensively and has the ability to score at an MVP-level. 

But for as good as he is offensively, his game is still severely lacking away from the puck and when it comes to driving possession and controlling the pace of games.

That is to be expected for a 21-year-old with just three years of pro experience. 

This deal becoming a good value against the cap is dependent on him not only continuing to improve offensively, but also improving his all-around game. 

Can he, and will he, do that? It is possible, if not likely. But he still has to get there. 

3. The Blackhawks offense is still lacking

Getting Bedard signed was one of the top priorities for the Blackhawks, and they managed to get it done.

But it does not do anything to actually make the team dramatically better, and that is still the biggest issue here.

The trade for defenseman Bowen Byram from the Buffalo Sabres helps a little bit, but it was a terrible value trade with a bad value contract. Even with him being an upgrade to the defense and roster as a whole, it's still not enough to make a meaningful move in the standings for a team that has been objectively one of the NHL's worst over the past few years. 

They had to get their cornerstone player signed. Now they still have to do more to help him.