Penguins Should Check Out Blackhawks With Massive Connor Bedard Offer Sheet – Hockey Writers – Pittsburgh Penguins

The NHL has officially entered a new era of offer sheets.

For many years, they were considered a tool that ordinary managers simply refused to use. Whether it was an unwritten code between managers or a fear of damaging relationships in the league, offer sheets became one of hockey’s rarities.

That all changed when the Philadelphia Flyers shocked the hockey world by signing Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million contract with $18 million in average annual value. Even if the Ducks ultimately comply with the contract, a message has been sent. Teams are still not afraid to use their salary cap space in an effort to acquire top quality young talent.

That aggressive approach should have the attention of every NHL general manager, including Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey Kyle Dubas. While Connor Bedard is almost untouchable in Chicago, the Penguins are one of the few teams positioned to make the Blackhawks uncomfortable. They have the financial flexibility, they have the necessary capital, and they are entering a transition period where finding the next franchise star has become a priority.

Bedard’s five-year, $20 million cap hit will almost match Chicago’s, but sometimes forcing another organization to make an uncomfortable decision is reason enough to make the call.

Penguins With Gift Making Kits

From Pittsburgh’s perspective, there’s very little downside to potential exploration. According to PuckPedia, the Penguins enter the season with nearly $25 million in available salary cap space. That gives them enough room to move the richest sheet in NHL history without running into cap issues. More importantly, Pittsburgh owns the necessary first-round draft pick needed to fill out the max-compensation offer sheet. Few teams around the NHL can honestly say both of those things.

Could a cap hit of 20 million be a bonus? Maybe. However, offer sheets are never about signing players to club-friendly contracts. They are designed to make the opposing team think long and hard about matching a deal that could change its salary structure for years to come. The Blackhawks will likely match every dollar of the $20 million offer sheet because Bedard is the cornerstone of their rebuild. Regardless, Pittsburgh will be forcing Chicago to commit to one of the richest contracts professional hockey has ever seen. That alone makes the exercise worthwhile.

Bedard Will Be Pittsburgh’s Next Franchise Star

There’s also a hockey argument to be made without putting pressure on Chicago. The Penguins are approaching a crossroads as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang continue toward the final stages of their Hall of Fame careers. While Crosby is still one of the NHL’s best players, Pittsburgh knows it can’t rely on its core to compete forever. Dubas has spoken many times about trying to stay competitive while at the same time building for the future. There may not be a better player to bridge those two timelines than Bedard.

Since entering the league, Bedard has made a name for himself as one of hockey’s brightest stars despite playing with a struggling Blackhawks team surrounded by top-level talent. His offensive instincts, elite release, vision, and ability to take over plays have drawn comparisons to other major leaguers. He’s the type of player franchise organizations spend decades trying to find in the draft. The chance to find someone like that is almost impossible, and that’s why teams should explore every possible avenue, even if the chances are very slim.

Imagine the story line if Pittsburgh had somehow managed to pull it off. Crosby will have the opportunity to mentor a player widely regarded as one of the NHL’s next talents before passing the torch. The Penguins will transition from one franchise icon to another without having to endure the long process of rebuilding multiple organizations after losing a Hall of Fame center. It sounds absurd, but the Flyers presented Carlsson with an $18 million offer sheet a few days ago.

Cap Ramifications will follow

Of course, if the impossible doesn’t happen and Chicago refuses to match, Pittsburgh’s salary cap situation could become very difficult. A cap hit of $20 million will eat up most of the Penguins’ cap space, leaving the front office with more work to do before opening night. Restricted free agents Yegor Chinakhov and Arturs Silovs both remain in need of new contracts, and while neither is expected to command star money, combined they will still need several million dollars in additional cap space.

That means Pittsburgh will likely need to clear money from its roster. Simply put, rumors surrounding Rickard Rakell continued to circulate throughout the season. The veteran has reportedly drawn interest around the league, and his contract would represent one of the easiest ways for the Penguins to shell out a reasonable salary should Bedard somehow land.

Rakell is still a productive top-six forward who can score 30 goals in the right situation, meaning Pittsburgh is likely to get legitimate assets in return rather than just shedding salary.

Moving Rakell will undoubtedly weaken the Penguins’ wing depth, but it will create enough flexibility to finalize new contracts for Chinakhov and Silovs while remaining consistent with the cap. It’s the kind of domino effect teams are willing to navigate when they land a franchise-changing player. Every Stanley Cup player eventually faces tough salary decisions, and adding Bedard would be worth every tough conversation.

Even a matched donation sheet wins

Even if Chicago is quickly becoming the same, Pittsburgh is still accomplishing something important. Offer sheets aren’t just about stealing players from other organizations. They can also reshape the marketplace. Carlsson’s $18 million offer sheet has already changed the conversation about restricted free agents.

Players like Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and others now have a new chat sign. If the Penguins submit a $20 million offer sheet to Bedard, they could increase that bench, forcing Chicago to build their future salary structure around an unprecedented contract.

For years, NHL general managers have treated offer sheets as if they were restricted. The leaflets showed that the thinking could disappear, and other organizations should follow suit. Pittsburgh has cap space, draft capital, and perhaps most importantly, a legitimate organizational need for its next franchise base. Those conditions make the Penguins one of the few teams that can officially skate.

Penguins Nothing to Lose

Is Bedard really going to be a Penguin? The odds remain incredibly low. Chicago has invested everything in building around its young star, and there’s no way the Blackhawks will willingly let him go. However, that doesn’t mean Pittsburgh has to accept the status quo. Generational talent is almost always unavailable, and when a very small window opens, organizations have an obligation to explore it.

At worst, the Blackhawks are forced to match the richest contract in NHL history and make the most long-term money for their franchise player. At best, the Penguins reach the center of their future and secure a seamless transition from the Sidney Crosby era to the Connor Bedard era. In today’s NHL, where offer sheets have suddenly become an official weapon, that possibility alone is worth taking a shot at.