Could Connor Bedard Wait To Sign Next Deal With Chicago?
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio with Gord Stellick and Scott Laughlin. With the trade deadline over, he was asked about Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks. Could he see Bedard signing his next deal this July 1st, or will he wait?
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Gord Stellick: “So on the opposite side, you take a look at some sellers, and definitely within the Western Conference, you bought 4 teams which have been out of it, disappointing yr for Seattle, a disappointing yr for Nashville, San Jose form of understood they’re in a rebuild. Chicago Blackhawks, Elliotte about Connor Berdard form of looking going, ‘I feel (Macklin) Celebrini and (Adam) Fantilli are have having more fun than me.’
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He’s up for July, 1 yr upfront, like you’ll have thought he can be hitting the massive time. And you discover the frustration there. His first 10 games within the NHL, they monitored every shift he did. Now, he’s form of an afterthought. He’s within the El Gordo plus-minus police slightly bit too actually because he’s not on a superb team. And I’m curious okay, form of pressure that we got to do a greater job around him.
What form of money do you think that he gets? I might have said two years ago, whatever top dollar was, but July 1st is like an Alexis Lafreniere contract. I don’t know whatever. I mean here we’re, almost two years later, from the following Auston Matthews Connor McDavid player, who after two years, isn’t.”
Elliotte Friedman: “That’s a great query. I’ll think, this caps going up, you already know. I mean, he’s gonna, I mean, obviously him and his reps are gonna, I actually have to be honest, Gordon, I actually haven’t considered it lots. But my position on this all the time is when you have got these players sign them for so long as you may, since the number doesn’t ever go down.
I actually have to be honest with you Gordie, I actually should take into consideration that more before I actually answer it, because, look, he’s their franchise cornerstone. He’s their guy, and the ask goes to be big, obviously. I actually have to take a look at it. But my position on that is, when you have got these sorts of players, you sign them for so long as you may because the worth doesn’t go down.”
Stellick: “What time are you able to get back to us? Next Wednesday? (laughs)”
Friedman: “I’ll be on the GMs Meetings next week. I’ll pull Kyle Davidson aside and say Gordon Stellick desires to know what Bedard’s next contract goes to be.”
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Stellick: “It’s, and now we are able to move on for the trade deadline. It’s an interesting query right away?”
Friedman: “Yeah, no, it’s a very good query. I mean, the opposite thing you may do is, I mean it’s an RFA deal, right? Like you can all the time wait until the tip of next season should you desired to. I mean, there’s absolute confidence that right away we’re going through a situation where with the cap going up, you may plan long-term such as you never have before.
And the agents are being smart about that. They’re using percentage of cap, and the teams try to attract a tough line now, and so they’re attempting to say we’re not doing that anymore, aside from the highest players and Bedard on Chicago, he’s their top player. So there’s loads of fascinating philosophical and logistical conversations about this.
I just don’t have a great answer for you right away, but I’ll do some work on it.”
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