Bedard and Kane reset Chicago: NHL off-season digest, July 20-27
Connor Bedard's $75 million extension, Patrick Kane's Chicago return, and a completed 15-player arbitration slate reshape the fantasy watchlist before opening night.
The arbitration pile is gone
The NHL's unresolved RFA board changed shape in one week. Connor Bedard signed a five-year, $75 million deal in Chicago, Jason Robertson took a one-year, $12 million bridge in Dallas, and Trevor Zegras locked in a four-year, $36.5 million contract with Philadelphia. By the NHL's July 25 update, all 15 players who filed for salary arbitration had signed before a hearing. 1 2 3 4
For fantasy managers, that removes paperwork risk but leaves two live questions: availability in Chicago after Bedard's shoulder surgery, and deployment for players whose contracts now give their teams a clearer plan.
The week's contract board
| Player | Deal | 2025-26 production | Fantasy read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Bedard, Chicago | 5 years, $75M; $15M AAV | 75 points in 69 games, including 30 goals and 45 assists | The contract confirms elite long-term status, but the shoulder surgery means his opening-night availability remains the first draft-day check. 1 |
| Jason Robertson, Dallas | 1 year, $12M | 96 points in 82 games, including 45 goals and 51 assists | Keep him near the top of scoring boards. The one-year term creates a future contract decision, not a present production concern; Dallas says he can sign a new long-term deal on Jan. 1, 2027. 2 |
| Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia | 4 years, $36.5M; $9.125M AAV | Career-high 26 goals and 67 points in 81 games | The career-best season and multi-year commitment support a stable keeper-league valuation, though the contract alone does not guarantee a power-play bump. 3 |
| Patrick Kane, Chicago | 2 years, $16M; $8M AAV; full no-move clause | 57 points in 67 games for Detroit | A possible Bedard-Kane pairing raises the ceiling for both players, but line and power-play confirmation should come before a projection change. 5 |
| Jet Greaves, Columbus | 3 years, $15M; $5M AAV | 26-19-9, 2.60 GAA, .908 SV%, 2 shutouts in 55 games | The 53 starts show workload appeal. The .908 save percentage keeps him in the volume-versus-rate conversation rather than making him an automatic draft upgrade. 6 |
| Cole Sillinger, Columbus | 3 years, $13.875M; $4.625M AAV | 33 points in 81 games, including 8 goals and 25 assists | The deal stabilizes his roster spot, but last season's scoring line is not enough evidence for a breakout-priced pick. 7 |
| John Marino, Utah | 8 years, $54M; $6.75M AAV beginning in 2027-28 | Career-high 36 points in 80 games; 20:12 average ice time | This is a long-term defense-core signal more than an immediate fantasy jolt. His path is assists and minutes, not a sudden goals spike. 8 |
Chicago now has a new one-two question
Bedard's extension came with a short-term caveat. Chicago announced on July 8 that he will miss the start of the season after left-shoulder surgery; he described the recovery as feeling good and said he is taking it day by day. He also missed 12 games last season and 14 in 2023-24, so the fantasy adjustment is about games played, not a reason to question the talent. 1
Kane's return adds a credible playmaking option beside him once Bedard is cleared. Kane scored 57 points in 67 games for Detroit last season, and the Blackhawks article says he is intrigued by playing with Bedard. That is a useful possibility, not a confirmed line. Treat Kane as a deployment watch and Bedard as an elite asset with a temporary availability discount.
The secondary RFA signals
Robertson, Zegras, Greaves, Sillinger and Akira Schmid were among the high-interest cases cleared before hearings. Schmid signed a two-year deal with Florida on July 24; the financial terms were not disclosed. He went 16-10-6 with a 2.59 GAA, a .893 save percentage and two shutouts in 34 games last season. Those numbers make him a depth-goalie watch, not a standalone reason to move him into a starting tier. 4 9
The practical distinction across the group is clear:
- Established scorers such as Robertson and Zegras gained contract clarity without needing a production rewrite.
- Bedard gained a long-term commitment while losing short-term availability.
- Greaves gained a volume signal, but his save rate still matters more than the dollar figure.
- Sillinger gained security without a statistical case for an aggressive fantasy leap.
No game results, no standings move
The NHL's next regular season does not begin until Sept. 29, so the July 20–27 window contains no regular-season or playoff games to recap. That means there are no new weekly game leaders, team streaks, special-teams rates or wild-card changes to add here. The useful fantasy work this week is contract context, injury timing and projected usage. 10
For the next checkpoint, keep Bedard's rehab timeline, Chicago's top-six configuration, Dallas' long-term Robertson plan, and Columbus' goalie usage on the same watchlist. Those are the decisions that can move draft value before the schedule turns into actual games.
References
- 1Bedard signs 5-year, $75 million contract with Blackhawks
- 2Robertson signs 1-year, $12 million contract with Stars
- 3Zegras signs 4-year, $36.5 million contract with Flyers
- 415 players file for NHL salary arbitration
- 5Kane returns to Blackhawks, signs 2-year, $16 million contract
- 6Greaves signs 3-year, $15 million contract with Blue Jackets
- 7Sillinger signs 3-year, $13.875 million contract with Blue Jackets
- 8Marino signs 8-year, $54 million contract with Mammoth
- 9Schmid signs 2-year contract with Panthers
- 10NHL releases 2026-27 regular-season schedule
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