"We have star players, too, that don't seem to be protected as well as some of the other teams' stars," Blackhawks captain Foligno said.

Since Bedard’s next contract will begin in 2026-27, those figures will play a critical role in determining his market value, and The Athletic's Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus think he could command as much as $17 million per season in his new contract.

At 4:52 of the second period, Mikko Rantanen scored his first goal as a member of the Hurricanes. One minute later (5:59), Jaccob Slavin made it 3-1. For a team as offensively challenged as the Blackhawks, that felt like a hill too steep to climb.