Will Bedard’s Shoulder Surgery Impact Contract Extension With Blackhawks?

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With the recent news that Connor Bedard underwent successful left shoulder surgery and will miss approximately four months while recovering, the Chicago Blackhawks face a series of challenges in his absence.

Bedard is expected to miss the opening month or so in the 2026-27 NHL regular season, and head coach Jeff Blashill will now need to find a new top-line center in his absence. Frank Nazar and/or rookie Anton Frondell are the likely culprits to fill the role after initially being expected to begin the season playing center in the middle six. Doing so gives the Hawks a depth luxury down the middle they’ve yet to provide underneath Bedard since drafting him three years ago.

However, those plans have quickly changed with his latest injury, as Frondell and Nazar will be immediately thrust into larger roles from day one of training camp. Both are quality young players, but neither can quite fill Bedard’s shoes.

Getting enough offensive run support has also been an issue for the Blackhawks without Bedard in the lineup. When he missed significant stretches in 2023-24 (broken jaw) and 2025-26 (separated right shoulder), the team’s goal scoring drastically dipped on both occasions. Winning games and sustaining a consistent style when Bedard can’t suit up has been a major struggle, and that will be put to the test again in late September and likely throughout October.

From an on-ice perspective, the Blackhawks will have their hands full trying to prevent the season from slipping away before the calendar even flips to November. Set to be one of the youngest teams in the league once again, there’s not much experience in the locker room to lean on when times get tough, which they surely will without their star player.

But off the ice, the Blackhawks also could have some newfound difficulties with Bedard, as he remains without a contract extension as a restricted free agent. Not only does Bedard’s surgery somewhat complicate those matters, but so too does Leo Carlsson’s five-year, $90 million offer sheet he recently signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Anaheim Ducks ultimately matched the Flyers on Thursday and retained Carlsson, the second selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, who was a restricted free agent himself before signing. It didn’t come cheap, though, as Carlsson is now shockingly the highest-paid player in the league with an $18 million cap hit despite never averaging a point per game in a single season.

Bedard and his camp have to recognize how much the fast-rising salary cap has already affected restricted free agents this summer, which could lead to adjustments in negotiations. After all, Bedard has been more productive than Carlsson since the two hit the NHL scene in 2023-24. In 219 career games, Bedard has tallied 75 goals and 128 assists for 203 points. Carlsson has recorded 61 goals and 80 assists for 141 points in 201 career games.

Throughout the negotiating process so far this summer, there hasn’t been much information leaked about potential deals or offers being discussed. Take this source with a grain of salt, but David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on Saturday, two days after Carlsson signed his offer sheet with the Flyers, that Bedard is looking for around $17 million per year on his next deal.

Given Carlsson’s new contract, it’s justifiable for Bedard and his agent to believe he’s worthy of that figure. Not even 21 years old, Bedard has handled himself remarkably maturely while constantly under the spotlight in Chicago as the centerpiece for a floundering hockey team. He’s said all the right things, made crucial steps in his own development, has taken on a larger leadership role, and remained committed to Davidson’s rebuild, even when that hasn’t been easy. From all aspects, he’s deserving of an eight-year extension at that price.

However, the Blackhawks do have a new counterpoint against Bedard in negotiations, as he’s now sustained three serious injuries in less than four years. While the organization presumably has full confidence in Bedard’s talents and believes he’s on the verge of becoming an elite player, his lack of durability, whether fair or unfair, might cause some hesitancy in dishing out $17 million per year or more.

No, the Blackhawks don’t want to be nickel and diming their franchise cornerstone, and the next seven or eight years ahead are certainly more important than only the next four months. Whether this recent injury happened or not, Bedard was looking at a massive raise on his extension.

When it comes to being in the conversation for the highest-paid player in the league, though, that’s where Bedard needing to undergo shoulder surgery could have some ramifications. It likely won’t impact what kind of deal, whether short-term or long-term, that he and his agent were anticipating heading into negotiations. But it could create a wedge between what the Blackhawks and Bedard believe is fair.

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