The Chicago Blackhawks have a late start for their matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night at the United Center. The contest won’t start between the lowly Blackhawks (16-31-5) and Oilers (33-16-4) until 8:30 p.

The Oilers are in the second half of a back-to-back as they visited the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. After a rough start to the 2024-25 season, Edmonton has righted the ship and rocketed up the standings. They come into Wednesday first in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights.

Bedard's new contract will begin in 2026-27, when the salary cap will be $104 million. How will the negotiatons be handled on each side?

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.

The Edmonton Oilers and their high-scoring offense led by Connor McDavid are always a treat to watch. On Wednesday night they will visit the United Center in Chicago to face the Blackhawks and their young star Connor Bedard.

"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.