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Blackhawks Name Connor Bedard Captain, Sign $75M Deal

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 10:47 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The Chicago Blackhawks appointed 21-year-old Connor Bedard as team captain, their second-youngest ever.
Bedard signed a five-year, $75 million deal with a $15 million AAV, the league’s third-highest.
He logged his 200th NHL point on April 6, the first Blackhawk to do so at age 20-or-younger.
He had left-shoulder surgery in July and is expected back around November, GM Kyle Davidson said.

History

Historical Context

When the Pittsburgh Penguins named Sidney Crosby captain on May 31 2007, the 19-year-old became the NHL’s youngest captain, a move that followed the franchise’s rebuild after Mario Lemieux’s 2006 retirement. Crosby’s subsequent five-year, $43.5 million extension in July 2007 cemented a trend of entrusting youthful stars with leadership and long-term contracts, a pattern other clubs now emulate.

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Story summary

The Chicago Blackhawks appointed 21-year-old Connor Bedard as team captain, their second-youngest ever.
Bedard signed a five-year, $75 million deal with a $15 million AAV, the league’s third-highest.
He logged his 200th NHL point on April 6, the first Blackhawk to do so at age 20-or-younger.
He had left-shoulder surgery in July and is expected back around November, GM Kyle Davidson said.

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