On Thursday night, the contract extension of Frank Nazar became official. With one year left on his entry-level deal, he signed a seven-year extension that locks up the entire first half of his prime.
This contract will carry a cap hit of $6.59 million. It is a bit rich for a player with only 56 games under his belt, but his potential suggests that the deal will look like a bargain in short order.
After the signing was announced on social media, Blackhawks star Connor Bedard took to Instagram to acknowledge his teammate and friend.
He posted a picture shared by the NHL with the caption "rich rich".
Vinnie Parise (@VinnieParise) on X
Connor Bedard reacts to Frank Nazar’s contract extension:
“Rich rich”
I assume Bedard is not far behind. 💸
Although the Blackhawks have some business to take care of with other RFAs before the 2025-26 season begins, Connor Bedard should be a top priority for them as well. Like Nazar was before this deal, Bedard is set to be an RFA on July 1st. Both sides would like to have this done well before then.
During development camp, Davidson mentioned that he was talking to Bedard's camp about this issue, which would be better resolved sooner rather than later.
On Friday, about a day after his contract extension, Nazar met with the media via Zoom. One of the topics he talked about was his teammate, Connor Bedard.
First, he talked about the admiration he has for him as a player:
"I've definitely seen a lot of his summer skates and drills he's been doing," Nazar said on Bedard and what he's seen from him during the off-season. "It's kind of been all over. Honestly, it's fun to watch. He's one of those players you can sit and watch all day. He looks so fluent with the puck. It's just fun to watch him and learn from him."
Nazar had a front row seat for Bedard's brilliance in 2024-25. He even had some time with him at even strength and on the power play down the stretch.
When asked about the business side of things for Bedard, Nazar confirmed that they haven't talked about it at all.
"Honestly, [on] the business side, [I] haven't really talked much at all to him about it."
This isn't at all surprising. Each of them knows that they are going to be taken care of financially. They are focused on the upcoming season and how they can improve the team's chances to win by being the best versions of themselves.
Nazar went on to chat about how he is more focused on being a good friend to Bedard and focusing together on the challenges that are in front of them.
Bedard and Nazar are going to be two of the core pieces in Chicago for a long time. Nazar's comments on Friday certainly make it seem like they are pals away from the ice, which is always healthy for teammates. Bright days are ahead for Chicago with these two leading the charge up front.
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