"Being named captain of the Blackhawks is an unbelievable honour and something I'm truly humbled by," Bedard said in a statement.
"The captains who have come before me have left an incredible legacy. To now have the opportunity to carry that tradition forward is something I don't take lightly. I'm grateful to the organization and my teammates for putting their trust in me to lead this team. We're building something really special here, and I'm committed to making the entire Blackhawks organization and our fans proud."
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to terms on a new two-year contract with restricted free agent defenseman Kevin Korchinski, the club announced Saturday afternoon. Per the club release , Korchinski’s new contract will carry a $1.325 million NHL cap hit through the 2027-28 season. The 22-year-old defenseman split the 2025-26 season between the NHL and the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs; in 13 games with the Blackhawks, he recorded two assists while averaging 13:38 of ice time. The Blackhawks originally selected Korchinski with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, using one of the three picks they acquired from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Alex DeBrincat. A 6’1″ left-shot defender, Korchinski spent the entirety of his junior career with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, winning a league championship and advancing to the Memorial Cup final in 2023. He proceeded …
The rebuilding Vancouver Canucks have hired Ryan Stewart as the NHL team’s director of hockey strategy and player evaluation.
General manager Ryan Johnson announced the news on Monday, saying in a statement that Stewart "brings a championship pedigree and a wealth of hockey knowledge to this brand new position."
Stewart joins the Canucks following four seasons with the San Jose Sharks where he oversaw the club's professional staff in North America and Europe.
He previously spent parts of 16 seasons with the Blackhawks, serving in a variety of roles from assistant general manager to director of professional scouting and amateur scout to assistant coach, and won Stanley Cups with Chicago in 2013 and 2015.
This comes from an uncredited author on 97.1 the Ticket: [Patrick] Kane is headed back to Chicago, on a two-year, $16 million deal to likely finish his Hall of Fame career where it started. “…
Patrick Kane did just that on Thursday, penning a two-year, $16 million deal worth $8 million in AAV to return to the Chicago Blackhawks, the team with which he spent the better part of the first 16 years of his NHL career.
The Buffalo, N.Y., native signed a two-year, $16 million contract worth $8 million in average annual value with the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Chicago Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has chimed in on the possibility of a Patrick Kane reunion. According to Davidson, the ball is in the player's court, and the decision to reunite with Chicago is all up to Kane.
In the wake of Leo Carlsson's mega $90-million contract, some in NHL circles expected Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard to quickly eclipse the newfound salary benchmark.
Bedard, however, said Carlsson's record-setting $18-million AAV — signed as an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers but matched by the Anaheim Ducks — was not a factor in his own negotiations.
The 2023 No. 1 pick signed a five-year, $75 million contract to stick with the Blackhawks on Saturday.
"I'm very happy with the amount of money I'm making. It's a lot. The offer sheet's different as well with a team trying to take a guy. It's going to be a different value. But for me, that didn't change anything I was thinking," Bedard said on Monday.
CHICAGO — Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard has agreed to a $75 million, five-year contract, completing a major offseason goal for the team. The rebuilding Blackhawks announced the deal on Saturday. Bedard, who turned 21 on Friday, had been a restricted free agent. “Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player in the NHL,” general manager Kyle Davidson said in a release. “He utilizes all aspects of his game to not only be a constant threat, but to make the players around him better every time he steps on the ice. Connor’s strong work ethic and determination to always improve his game has set an extraordinary standard for our young core." The deal was finalized 10 days after Bedard had surgery on his left shoulder. The center is expected to …
The Hawks inked Bowen Byram to a monster new extension, committing to a six-year deal worth $75 million to the defenceman. The contract, which kicks in for the 2027-28 campaign, carries an annual AAV of $12.5 million. According to Spotrac , that will make Byram the NHL's highest-paid defenceman that season, with pending extensions for Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes expected to surpass it. Byram was obtained from the Buffalo Sabres just before the NHL Draft for a package built around the fourth-overall pick. Chicago has been looking for ways to push its rebuild forward and making the 25-year-old Byram its top offensive option on the blueline is a big part of that. Like star centre Connor Bedard, Byram is a British Columbia boy and the two are said to be thrilled at the prospect of playing together. Byram — …
While we won’t know how many of the 32 picks pan out for years to come, Ryan Dixon still identifies some winners and losers from one of the biggest events on the NHL calendar.
CHICAGO — Bowen Byram got the opportunity he wanted in a place he wanted to go. He thinks he's ready.
So do the Chicago Blackhawks — and they paid a hefty price because of that belief.
Byram is stepping in as Chicago's No. 1 defenceman after he was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks sent the No. 4 and No. 45 selections in the NHL draft and defenceman Louis Crevier to the Sabres for Byram and physical forward Jordan Greenway.
“To be honest, I feel like I’ve just been preparing for an opportunity like this for a long time,” Byram said Wednesday.
