RUMOR | Connor Bedard Could Be the Next Leo Carlsson

Jonathan Di Gregorio
RUMOR | Connor Bedard Could Be the Next Leo Carlsson
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

A major surprise today, as Leo Carlsson accepted a hostile offer from the Flyers that will pay him $18 million annually for the next five seasons, making him the highest-paid player in the NHL.

This was already the second hostile offer since the free-agent market opened—and it may not be the last.

Some restricted free agents must be watching Carlsson's situation and rubbing their hands together in anticipation of their next contract.

This is particularly true for Connor Bedard, who is currently without a contract in Chicago.

David Pagnotta and Irfaan Gaffar discussed Bedard's situation on the Daily Faceoff show (before Carlsson signed) and, according to them, the Blackhawks forward is reportedly seeking a salary similar to that of Kirill Kaprizov, who will earn an average of $17 million per year for the next eight years.

That's a steep price to pay for a player who has had only one season with more than one point per game, even though he tallied 75 points—including 30 goals—in 69 games last year.

Moreover, according to Pagnotta and Gaffar, that's more than the Hawks would be comfortable paying for their star player.

However, with the contract Carlsson signed earlier today, this will give the Bédard camp plenty of leverage to negotiate his next contract.

After three seasons in the NHL, the Chicago center's offensive stats are better than Carlsson's (203 points in 219 games vs. 141 points in 201 games), and he has plenty of grounds to secure a contract in the same ballpark.

This could also be the case for Jason Robertson, another restricted free agent who has yet to sign with his current team.

Furthermore, one might wonder if Bedard could be an attractive target for a hostile offer from a team willing to overpay to acquire him.

Yes, the Blackhawks have plenty of room on their payroll to match a hostile offer, but if a team were to offer the maximum salary (20.8 million per year), would his current team be willing to go that far?

In short, if I were Kyle Davidson, Chicago's general manager, this is an issue I'd try to resolve as a top priority.


In a nutshell

– Getting ready for tomorrow.

– Messi opens the scoring.

– The Leafs sign their first-round pick.

– New developments in the Lurkin saga.

– An announcement coming soon?

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