How soon the Canucks could sign Bedard and Celebrini in free agency
Start the clock.
Eleven days after the Chicago Blackhawks signed Connor Bedard to a five-year, $15-million contract, the San Jose Sharks have locked up Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini is now set to become the highest-paid player in the NHL, also on a five-year deal, worth $18.8 million per season.
It means we now know when the two North Vancouver phenoms can become unrestricted free agents.
Canucks fans who have been daydreaming about Bedard and Celebrini coming home can now circle a pair of dates on their calendars. Bedard can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2031. Celebrini, whose new contract kicks in next year, can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2032.
Both Bedard and Celebrini UFAs a year apart in their mid 20s.
Script is going to plan.
Everything lines up perfectly with the Canucks rebuild if they stay patient.
Don't screw this up @fr_aquilini
— Taj (@taj1944) July 29, 2026
Few NHL superstars have actually tested unrestricted free agency in their prime, so this dream is still far from reality. But because both players chose to sign for less than the maximum contract length of eight years, they could come home sooner than expected.
What if things aren’t going well in Chicago or San Jose in the coming years? It could line up perfectly with the Canucks coming out of their rebuild and entering a window of contention. Adding either superstar centre at age 26 at that time could be enough to bring Vancouver its first Stanley Cup.
Both Bedard and Celebrini grew up as Canucks fans, and didn’t exactly hide how much they loved the team.
“I was pretty hardcore actually,” Bedard said in 2024. “Iād lose my mind whenever [the Canucks] lost. There were a couple of times where my mom kind of gave me a couple suspensions from watching the team, I was getting too fired up.”
Macklin Celebrini is a Canucks diehard pic.twitter.com/lfbJuVnmGC
— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) May 21, 2024
We saw Celebrini’s fandom in 2024 when he was spotted enthusiastically chanting “go Canucks go” at a playoff game.
“I love the Canucks, growing up watching them every night on TV. They were my favourite team,” Celebrini said in 2023. “That would be pretty special playing for them one day.”
He said one day.
Until then, dare to dream, Canucks fans.