Connor Bedard's new contract in Chicago might matter just as much to the Vancouver Canucks as it does to the Blackhawks.
The connection is not a coincidence. Bedard grew up in the Vancouver area, and that hometown tie keeps surfacing every time his contract comes up.
His new five-year deal with Chicago is worth $15 million a season, coming off a 30-goal, 75-point season over 69 games.
The structure of that contract is what actually matters here.
Bedard does not get full no-movement protection until year five, which also happens to be the only unrestricted free agent season in the deal.
That timing gives Bedard real leverage right as the contract runs out, the exact moment a hometown move would make the most sense.
None of this means Chicago plans to move him. It just means the door stays open if the fit ever changes on both sides.
Vancouver's own rebuild still has a long way to go
Vancouver's side of the equation is still far from ready. The Canucks finished dead last in the league this past season at 25-49-8.
Their goal differential landed at minus-100, the worst mark among all 32 teams.
Vancouver has already started rebuilding around that, hiring Manny Malhotra as head coach and naming Ryan Papaioannou to run the AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.
Elias Pettersson's own name has come up in trade speculation this summer too, adding more uncertainty to what this roster even looks like.
A Bedard fit only really works once Vancouver is contending instead of rebuilding, and that gap is still significant right now.
The original post laying out the contract's fine print is worth reading directly.
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Bedard is not walking through that door anytime soon, but Chicago's contract at least leaves it unlocked for whenever Vancouver is ready to knock.
Would you rather Vancouver rebuild patiently or push now for a splash like Bedard?
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