Connor Bedard Makes Surprising Statement On Offer Sheet Possibilities Earlier This Summer

It's been almost a week now since restricted free agent Connor Bedard signed his big contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks. But after his draft class counterpart Leo Carlsson signed an $18 million AAV offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers, only to be matched by the Anaheim Ducks, many around the sport wondered if Bedard could be one of the next then-unsigned young stars to get a huge offer sheet.

But the Hawks' star center set the record straight on that during an interview on Friday with TSN Overdrive. 

"I let them know from the start an offer sheet wasn't something I was ever going to do."

"The risk of not being a Blackhawk wasn't worth any amount of money."

Connor Bedard shares insight into staying in Chicago 👀 pic.twitter.com/Zs7VyfLes8

— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) July 24, 2026

Bedard was asked if he ever thought about playing "hardball" with the Hawks, or if he ever entertained signing an offer sheet with another team. 

"Not at all, to be honest with you. For me, I let them know from the start an offer sheet wasn't something I was ever going to do. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm extremely happy for Leo...

Bedard says he was never interested in signing an offer sheet

"But for me, the risk of not being a Blackhawk wasn't worth any amount of money.

"I didn't want to change (my negotiations) just because that (offer sheet) happened. It's a different scenario with the offer sheet. We had good conversations the whole time throughout. We're happy where we landed and I think both sides feel good about it."

The kid certainly has his head on straight, and knows where his priorities lie. He's obviously a Blackhawk through and through, and wants to be The Next One in the great tradition of the Original Six franchise on the ice. In fact, he's thrilled to have one of the leaders of the last Blackhawks dynasty, Patrick Kane, be joining him this season. 

Bedard signed a five-year, $75 million deal with a $15M AAV.  He'll be a UFA at the young age of 25 in 2031. Pulling a page out of Sidney Crosby's book, in a way, he'll get a $9.8M bonus each of the five years, reflecting his uniform number. There are no no-trade clauses until the final year, 2030-31, when a full no-movement clause kicks in. 

Bedard finished his third season with career highs of 30 goals, 45 assists and 75 points in just 69 games. He'll miss the beginning of the 2026-27 season after undergoing shoulder surgery this summer. He's expected to return around early to mid-November and miss about five or six weeks of the season.