This has to be the Canucks timeline to contend. Have a good team, great culture and cap space coming up as Bedard reaches UFA status then back up the truck to bring him home.
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Connor Bedard’s new contract walks him right to free agency and Canucks fans are thrilled
Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jul 18, 2026, 17:17 EDTUpdated: Jul 18, 2026, 17:49 EDT
On Saturday, news broke that Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks were in agreement on a five-year, $75 million contract, giving Bedard an annual average value of $15 million.
That, of course, means that at the deal’s expiry, Bedard will be an unrestricted free agent at the age of 26. And that’s certainly got Vancouver Canucks fans excited about the possibility of signing the Vancouver-born centre in 2030.
Just in time for the Canucks
Bedard Malholtra Cootes Rogowski Down the middle in 2031 😮💨 #Canucks
𝐄 𝐗 𝐓 𝐄 𝐍 𝐃 𝐄 𝐃 🏠 from draft night to his first goal on UC ice and every moment in between, here’s to 𝟓 more years of 𝟗𝟖 in Chicago ❤️
2031 Canucks will have Bedard Buium Malhotra Dupont Willander Cootes Novotny, And whoever the number 1 prospect in 2028 is Don’t run @NHL
GET YOUR BEDARD CANUCKS JERSEYS READY!! IT'S HAPPENING!!!!
420 regular season games until Bedard signs with the canucks in free agency
Now, a quick reality check. Has Bedard talked about how much he likes Chicago before? Yes, multiple times. Has he indicated he wants to remain a Blackhawk long-term before? Also yes (but chose not to do so yet, we’ll admit that). Are the Canucks a “destination” for top-tier UFAs like Bedard will be? No, not exactly.
But this is sports, dammit! Canucks fans have every right to dream of a world where the Sedins and Ryan Johnson are patient enough that the Canucks’ rebuild is at a point where a superstar like Bedard would not only want to come back home to Vancouver, but that the Canucks will have the cap space available to make it happen as well.
Of course, one would assume all Chicago really has to do to keep Bedard beyond the five years they signed him to today is surround him with a semi-competent supporting cast that gives him a chance to win, something GM Kyle Davidson has flat-out been unable to do to this point of Bedard’s young career. Per PuckPedia, Bedard’s contract carries a full no-move clause in year 5, and covers one of Bedard’s possible UFA seasons.
Bedard, 20, produced at over a point-per-game clip for the first time in his NHL career this past season with Chicago. Through 69 games, Bedard tallied 30 goals and 45 assists for a total of 75 points. Bedard put those numbers up on a Blackhawks team that was once again abysmal in 2025-26. After Bedard, Chicago’s top scorers were Tyler Bertuzzi (58 points in 79 games), Frank Nazar (41 points in 66 games), and Ilya Mikheyev (36 points in 77 games).
Earlier this month, Bedard injured his shoulder while skating at Scotia Barn — colloquially known as 8 Rinks — in Burnaby with other Vancouver-based NHLers. The injury will keep him out for about four months, per the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks selected Bedard first overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Through his first two NHL seasons, Bedard struggled to produce offensively (relative to expectations, of course). This past season, though, he dragged the Blackhawks into the fight on a nightly basis before going down with an injury to his right shoulder that forced him to miss 12 games. Bedard suffered that injury during a late-game faceoff against Brayden Schenn of the St. Louis Blues. In his absence, the Blackhawks posted a 2-9-1 record. Prior to his injury, the Blackhawks were above .500 with a 13-12-6 record.
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Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$86,185,833
$62,923,333
Projected Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Current Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Active Players
23/23
13/23
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'26
'27
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1
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2
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