Overview

• Insider Frank Seravalli reports the Blackhawks and Bedard have not begun formal negotiations on an extension.
• Bedard told NHL.com he and the team want a multi-year agreement and are comfortable with the current timeline.
• He said a deal could be signed before the season, though it might not come until later.
• Bedard enters the final season of his entry-level contract as the salary cap rises, following a 67-point sophomore campaign that could encourage a wait-and-see approach.
• With Frank Nazar already extended, analysts are citing Hischier and MacKinnon as comparables, including one projection around seven years and $64.8 million.