Insider Frank Seravalli joined Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis on . Say what you want about Seravlli’s track record with his national scoops, he has great sources within the Chicago Blackhawks and can be trusted when it comes to them.
After spending some time talking about the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, they changed their focus to Connor Bedard’s next contract, and his insight was a bit surprising.
Not Everybody’s Talkin’
Outside of what is going to happen with the fourth overall pick at the end of the month, Bedard’s new deal is at the forefront of Blackhawks fans' minds. The fact that we haven’t heard much since the end of the season is making some a bit anxious. Servalli has heard some rumblings about the negotiations, or lack thereof, and shared them with Pat and Charlie.
“Let me say this,” he said. “Don’t believe everything you hear on the internet because there was some reporting out there that the Blackhawks and Bedard are a couple of million dollars apart. And then I saw a separate report that said Bedard was looking for $17 million a year. To my knowledge, the Blackhawks and Bedard have not even begun negotiating yet. They have not traded a single number. That’s not on the part of the Blackhawks. They’re ready to do this dance. They’re prepped – it’s go time. They need to wait for the other party, which is Bedard’s camp, who might want to slowplay this.”
It is a bit surprising that Bedard’s agent, Greg Landry, hasn’t come to the table yet. However, some feel that he could be waiting to see what other young players get this summer. San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini can sign an extension as of July 1, and he could be waiting to see what that contract looks like.
“I don’t personally think that the Macklin Celebrini contract has anything at all to do with Connor Bedard’s next deal,” Seravalli said. “I view Celebrini as being in a completely separate category from Bedard. I view it like the Kirill Kaprizov contract. It’s so much of an outlier that no one else even considers it a comp. Whatever Celebrini does, unless he takes a drastic underpayment, I don’t see a way that’s going to impact what happens next with Bedard.”
If I’m Celebrini’s agent, there is no way I’m signing this summer. Another big season could mean an even bigger payday next summer. A better comp is what Leo Carlsson is going to get from the Anaheim Ducks on his contract, but Seravalli doesn’t feel that will have any bearing on Bedard’s deal.
“I think the market has mostly been set,” he said. “I don’t know why the Bedard camp has been dragging its feet. It has been an annoying process at all for the Blackhawks. This isn’t a thorn in their side or anything like that. They’re just taking their time. I look at this situation and think this is a relatively easy deal to do. The Blackhawks want long-term. Any deal that is eight years, you can take the AAV and put it aside. Whatever number he slides to you on a piece of paper, I’m just signing it if I’m the Blackhawks and going ‘Yeah, sure. Great!’ The cap is increasing in such a significant way that the most important thing for the Blackhawks is long-term planning and being able to shape everything around that number.”
Based on what Seravalli said, it feels like the deal will get done once Bedard’s camp is ready to sit down and hash it out. There is no rush to get this done, but the sooner it happens, the better it will be for the fanbase’s collective peace of mind.
