"NBA pay is ridiculous!!" - Massive pay gap in Connor Bedard and Victor Wembanyama's rookie contracts leaves NHL fans divided 

The NHL's first-overall pick, Connor Bedard, and the NBA's first-overall pick, Victor Wembanyama, recently came face to face. The meeting between these two highly touted prospects captured the attention of sports fans, leading to a discussion on social media regarding the stark differences in their rookie contracts.

Allan Walsh, Co-Managing Director of Octagon-Hockey, took to Twitter to share the details of the contrasting financial terms these young athletes are entering the professional sports world with. According to his tweet, Wembanyama signed a lucrative rookie contract for four years, amounting to a staggering $55,174,766. This includes a guaranteed sum of $24,929,640 over the first two years.

On the other hand, Bedard inked a three-year, two-way entry-level contract with a more modest financial structure. His deal includes a salary and signing bonus, resulting in an average annual value (AAV) of $950,000 and a total of $2.85 million.

Unsurprisingly, NHL fans took notice of this significant pay gap and expressed their thoughts on X. One fan criticized the NBA's salary structure, stating,

"NBA pay is ridiculous!! No sport should pay this much."

Another fan suggested a hypothetical restructuring of the NHL to mirror the NBA's model, commenting,

"Good idea. Let's cut the NHL roster size to 15, and games down to 48 minutes. Then have the top players play 36 of those 48 minutes. Sounds like fun."

Notably, some fans acknowledged the unique characteristics of hockey that make it distinct from basketball. One fan succinctly expressed this sentiment, stating,

"I don’t think hockey is comparable to basketball."

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Connor Bedard and Victor Wembanyama's unprecedented meeting

NHL prodigy Connor Bedard and NBA sensation Victor Wembanyama recently united, showcasing their extraordinary talents. Bedard, the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft for the Chicago Blackhawks, swiftly transitioned from a top prospect to an NHL debutant in the same year. Meanwhile, towering at 7-foot-4, Wembanyama, a force on the basketball court, represents the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA.

The NHL captured their historic meeting in a series of photos, one of which depicted the athletes proudly holding each other's signed jerseys—Bedard with Wembanyama's number 1 NBA jersey and Wembanyama with Bedard's Chicago Blackhawks' number 98 jersey.