Blackhawks handling another major piece of business before extending Connor Bedard's contract

The Chicago Blackhawks won't be extending forward Connor Bedard right away. Instead of extending their 1st-round pick in 2023, the Blackhawks have turned their eyes elsewhere.

To former first-round pick Spencer Knight. Knight has found himself a new home in Chicago after being dealt in the Seth Jones trade. With Knight, Kyle Davidson believes that the team has found their future starting goalie, taking precedence over Arvid Soderblom.

The Blackhawks have opted to ink the goalie to a new contract after his $13.5 million deal expires at the end of the year.

Knight will be an RFA at the end of next summer:

While his short stint in Chicago could give us cause for concern, he's only been with the Blackhawks for a short period of time.

He ended the year in the Windy City with 15 GP, a 5-8-2 record, 3.12 GAA, and a .896 SV%.

Not indicative of how he's performed over his short career in the NHL with a 49-33-9 record, 2.82 GAA, and a .904 SV%.

There's room for growth in Chicago, and with the ongoing youth movement here, we should see improved numbers with players like Artyom Levshunov, Louis Crevier, and Ethan Del Mastro patrolling the ice.

While Knight is the focus for now, we shouldn't be concerned about Bedard, who remains dedicated to the Blackhawks long-term.