​What comes next for Connor Bedard’s contract with the Chicago Blackhawks after Leo Carlsson’s $18 million-per-year offer sheet from the Flyers. The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson find themselves in similar situations. Both are restricted free agents, with Carlsson, the Anaheim Ducks’ standout, now tied to an $18 million per year offer from the Philadelphia Flyers. All eyes turn to Bedard next. He’s generally regarded as the stronger player, so could a higher salary offer then materialize elsewhere?
Carlsson accepted the Flyers’ offer sheet, which gives the Ducks a week to match. In any case, he’ll earn $18 million annually. So what happens next for Bedard?
The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope laid out several points in a Friday article following the Carlsson news. He doesn’t see any major cause for concern. There are multiple reasons not to worry, Pope writes: Bedard has repeatedly said he intends to stay with the Hawks long-term and believes in the franchise’s plan; he and Hawks GM Kyle Davidson communicate regularly, including during Davidson’s recent controversial acquisition of Bowen Byram—Bedard’s friend; Bedard dislikes drama; he may be focused on an injury that could be a bigger immediate issue; and if the Flyers had approached Bedard before Carlsson, nothing came of it.
Pope concedes that until Bedard signs his next contract with Chicago, “nothing can be ruled out.” Carlsson’s move has, in one way or another, reset the market. Bedard’s next contract remains highly anticipated. Could someone come in with a $20 million-per-year offer? We should know soon enough.
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