Connor Bedard vs Victor Wembenyama: How does Blackhawks rookie's contract compare to NBA star's $55,174,766 deal?

Connor Bedard and Victor Wembenyama were considered to be generational prospects and could be the faces of the NHL and NBA, respectively.

Bedard was drafted first overall this summer by the Chicago Blackhawks, while Wembenyama was drafted first overall by the San Antonio Spurs.

However, the contracts for rookies in the NHL and the NBA are much different, as pointed out by NHL agent Allan Walsh.

As Walsh reveals, Victor Wembenyama signed a four-year $55,174,766 contract, which includes $24,929,640 guaranteed over two years.

The NHL, meanwhile, restricts rookies from signing million-dollar deals, and instead, Bedard signed a three-year deal worth $950,000 per year, which totals just $2.85 million.

It's a stark difference between the two leagues and it shows that NHL rookies are severely underpaid compared to the NBA. But, with the NHL's hard cap, the league imposed the rookie maximum of $950,000 per year, which even Bedard has to follow through with.

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Connor Bedard off to a stellar start

Entering his rookie season, Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard had sky-high expectations to be one of the best players in the NHL.

Although it is rare for an 18-year-old to dominate the NHL, Bedard has shown flashes of being a top player in this league.

Back in November, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said he thought Bedard started to figure the league out and has taken off since then.

"He's new to the league, and he's been here a dozen games now," Richardson said. "He's starting to really figure it out and use his skills at the best of his ability. It paid off for him and us tonight."

Richardson, who is known to work out early, has also praised Bedard for his work ethic as he says the rookie is in the gym around 6:30 a.m. to get extra work in so he can perform at an even higher level.

"I think he's driven," he said. "He gets excited at times but there's times where it's a really quick celebration and you can tell he's just skating and moving on mentally to the next play. I like that. I think that'll drag everybody along with him; not that the other guys aren't like that as well, but it's great to have young guys who are already in that mindset."

This season, Connor Bedard has recorded 28 points in 31 games and is currently the front-runner to win the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year.