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Connor Bedard talks the end of the Blackhawks' season: 'I want to win here'
The Blackhawks finished with the second-worst record in the league in the 2025-2026 season. Star Connor Bedard talks about what's next for him, and future expectations for the team.
For the third season in a row, the Chicago Blackhawks finished the NHL season with the second-worst record in the league.
They finished the 2025-2026 season with a 29-39-14 record. Only the Vancouver Canucks were worse.
On Thursday, the Blackhawks held end-of-season interviews. Star center Connor Bedard has had enough of the losing.
"This has to be the last year," Bedard said.
Bedard re-affirmed his commitment to Chicago while being in agreement with decision makers on the elephant in the room: The team needs to start seeing results.
Big picture view:
The ‘Hawks finished the 2024-2025 season with a 25-46-11 record. It was a slight improvement, but not enough to be satisfied with.
Plenty of younger players like Sacha Boisvert, Frank Nazar, Nick Lardis, Artyom Levshunov and more took steps in their NHL development this year. That's important for the Blackhawks, as it represents progress. The young players they've drafted are seeing time on the ice in NHL games.
But, for someone like Bedard who has been with the team since 2023, all he's endured are losing seasons. On Wednesday, Bedard spoke about not playing for something at the end of the season and not playing for playoff standings.
"We all want to win," Bedard said. "I want to win here for as long as I'm playing. At the end of the day, I have so much faith in the management, the coaching, and our players."
However, Bedard is a restricted free agent now after a season when he set career highs with 30 goals and 75 points. His future in Chicago isn't solidified until the franchise inks him to a long-term extension.
Bedard isn't worried about that. In fact, he's the opposite of worried.
"I’m easy. I kind of just wanted to play the year," Bedard said. "I’m not worried for a second. Honestly, I haven’t thought about it once this year. I know I want to be here and we’ll get it done soon. I don’t think if it’s not done in a month, there’s any worry or anything. It’ll just get done when it’s get done."
The team is confident they'll lock him into a long-term extension, too. Bedard is currently eligible for a maximum eight-year extension worth between $12 and $13 million per year. If the Blackhawks wait until September 16, 2026, the maximum extension term will decrease to seven years under the new NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson, whose extension with the team was announced on Wednesday evening, confirmed with a coy smile that, yes, the team would like to extend Bedard.
"Connor's so important to this team and this organization," Davidson said. "We'll get that done and we'll get to work soon on that."
When that gets done, the Blackhawks will continue trying to piece assets around Bedard as Davidson and first-year head coach Kyle Blashill try and put together a playoff team.
What's next:
The Blackhawks are taking their bruises, and fans are pondering when the team will be competitive again. But, it's easier said than done.
When the season came to an end on Wednesday, the Blackhawks finished with the youngest lineup of defensemen in the NHL. The forward group is one of the youngest in the NHL, too.
This year, the 'Hawks navigated the first year under Blashill, who was confident the team accomplished some of its Year One goals.
"Going in the year, we wanted to set a standard," Blashill said. "We wanted to begin the process of setting a culture. I know we've done those two things for sure."
The easy goal for the 2026-2027 season is to not finish second-to-last in the league. But, Blashill doesn't put too much stock in the team's finish this year. He mentioned that failure is an important part of learning how to get better.
Bedard put the onus on the players.
"That’s on us as individuals," Bedard said. "I take a lot of responsibility for that. I feel like we can all just pull with the same rope."
However, the team will continue to vow improvement. The decision makers and coaches are here for the foreseeable future.
Blashill is adamant the team's performance in 2025-2026 isn't indicative of how the team will perform in the future.
"When you're struggling, it feels like those steps backwards have wiped out all the steps forward," Blashill said. "But, that's not the case."