Connor Bedard Will Be Prime Flyers Target Sooner Than You Think
· Yahoo Sports
In due time, the Philadelphia Flyers will be back big-game hunting, as they have to wait only a few years to begin putting pressure on the Chicago Blackhawks to pry Connor Bedard away from the flailing franchise.
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On Saturday, Bedard, 21, signed a five-year, $75 million extension ($15 million AAV) with the Blackhawks, but there are a few factors that could make push come to shove and force a departure.
For starters, Bedard does not have trade protection at any point in his new deal until Year 5: 2030-31, when he has a full no-move clause. That means that if Bedard is not traded before July 1, 2030, he will spent that full season with Chicago and walk into unrestricted free agency at age 25 if he is not extended before then.
Bedard's new deal buys him only one year of UFA status, too, which is what makes his situation similar to the Leo Carlsson offer sheet. Those contracts are virtually identical, with the exception that Carlsson makes most of his money up front and is $3 million more expensive per year; those were products of the Flyers doing what they needed to do to try and strongarm Anaheim out of their franchise player.
This is all to say that, if it becomes apparent to Bedard and his camp that the Blackhawks are not turning the corner and prepared to win, he can be traded to any other NHL team four or fewer years into the deal.
New NHL Signings Prove Flyers Didn't Break Market for League with Leo Carlsson Offer SheetWith new contracts for Connor Bedard and Trevor Zegras, there is proof the Philadelphia Flyers did not destroy the NHL and the open market with their Leo Carlsson offer sheet attempt.If that doesn't happen, Bedard can simply wait out Year 5, go to free agency, and pick his team.
While his camp insists he wanted to stay with the Blackhawks and never considered signing an offer sheet himself, it is obvious that the 2023 No. 1 overall pick has numerous ways out of Chicago if and when the opportunity presents itself.
As for the Flyers, well, they proved with the offer sheet to Carlsson that they are prepared to spend big money against the cap and give up whatever draft capital necessary to land themselves a young, elite player in the middle of the ice.
Bedard unquestionably fits that bill and is an even more dynamic talent than Carlsson, even if injuries and size have been question marks in his nascent NHL career thus far.
On top of the Flyers being among the most willing to and brazen about flopping their wallets on the table, we must also consider the Matvei Michkov friendship factor.
Bedard and Michkov are two fierce competitors whose bond began to form on the ice at the international level during the 2021 U18 World Championships
Bedard and Michkov outside the locker rooms after their first NHL matchup in Nov. 2024. (Photo: Philadelphia Flyers)Michkov took the first NHL matchup between he and Bedard back on Nov. 23, 2024, playing hero with his "cold-blooded" overtime winner.
"It was really good to see him on the ice. It was a long time we don’t play against each other. I hope it’s only the beginning," Michkov had said. "I think he will try to get it back. I have to be ready for it."
Bedard did get Michkov back with a 7-4 win on March 23, 2025, but the Flyers won their two matchups with Chicago last season, putting Bedard down 3-1 in the all-time "series" against his Russian counterpart.
It's tough to be on that side of the rivalry for so long, isn't it?
It may not be tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, or the year after that, but soon, the Blackhawks must make something of themselves with Bedard on the team, or else they'll have to trade him or eventually lose him in free agency for nothing. You can count on the Flyers being prepared for that.