Connor Bedard has made his free agent pitch to winger Patrick Kane: It's time to return to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kane, 37, spent 16 seasons starring with the Blackhawks and helped lead the franchise to three Stanley Cup championships. But as Chicago went into a rebuild, "Showtime" moved on to play for the New York Rangers in 2023 and then the Detroit Red Wings for the past three seasons.
That rebuild led to the Blackhawks making Bedard the new face of their franchise when they drafted him No. 1 in 2023 a few months after trading Kane to the Rangers. Now, Bedard hopes Kane, an unrestricted free agent, is open to a reunion with the Blackhawks for the 2026-27 season.
"I hope so," Bedard said, speaking on Monday after signing a five-year, $75 million contract extension with the Blackhawks last weekend. "I don't know what I can say to persuade his decision, but we'd all be so excited to have a player like that but also a guy like that.
"I can't imagine his first game back at the [United Center], just the reaction he'd get and how much juice that would bring not only to our team but our fans as well. That would be incredible to get to play with him and learn from him."
Bedard doesn't just want this for nostalgia's sake. He believes Kane can help turn around the Blackhawks' team offense, which ranked 30th last season. Kane had 16 goals and 41 assists in 67 games for Detroit in 2025-26. Bedard led Chicago with 75 points in 69 games last season.
"You talk about the legacy aspect of it, but as a team, it would make us a way better team. He's still an amazing player," Bedard said. "I don't know if this is the best pitch, but hopefully he comes back and we can play together, for sure."
If Kane returns to Chicago, Bedard might have to wait to skate with him. Bedard underwent surgery on his left shoulder July 8 with a recovery timeline of four months. However, the young Chicago star was optimistic that he could return earlier.
"We'll see," he said. "Whether that's quicker than four months ... I mean there's obviously that timeline right now, but I'm just going to do everything I can day-to-day to try to get back as quick as possible."
A restricted free agent, Bedard said contract negotiations went smoothly with the Blackhawks, which resulted in a five-year term.
"You want both sides to be happy with the term. We came to that pretty quick. Both of us feel pretty good about the length of it. I'm happy where it ended up," he said.
There was speculation that Bedard's talks with the Blackhawks might have been impacted by Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson signing a five-year, $90 million free agent offer sheet that the Ducks matched. But Bedard said that wasn't the case.
"That didn't change anything. Chicago's the only place I want to play," he said. "I'm very happy with the amount of money I'm making. It's a lot."