Blackhawks Bottom Line: Frank Nazar Could Be Another ‘Identity Piece’

Over the next month, Chicago Hockey Now will be profiling every Chicago Blackhawks player from the 2023-24 season. Today will be forward Frank Nazar.

Frank Nazar
Forward
Games Played: 3
(Goals – Assists – Points): 1-0-1
Contract Status: Entry-Level Deal expires 2026

The Short View

Nazar scored a goal in his first game and flashed the potential seen at the University of Michigan this past season. The short sample of his work in Chicago mirrored the potential he has: a strong, two-way forward who disrupts on the defensive end, and erupts on the other. The between the legs pass he made that went viral in the Big Ten Championship just scratches the surface of what he can do. Now, where does is it leave him for the future?

The Long View

Nazar will have a couple of seasons to acclimate to professional play and its likeliest he’ll be in Chicago to not only start, but stay. Nazar is one of those “identity pieces” Seth Jones spoke of and can help the Blackhawks add to the strong foundation. The likes of Alex Vlasic, Connor Bedard, Philipp Kurashev as well as Kevin Korchinski have started that positive momentum. Now, Nazar can slot in for as a top nine forward who can add offense, but also play the 200-foot game that will help take some of the pressure off of a team overcommitting defensively to keep games close.

The real question remaining is where Nazar will finish next season. Will he need a stint in Rockford to retool or will he stay exclusively in Chicago as many predicted? Bet on the latter.

The Bottom Line for Frank Nazar

The long and short of it is that Nazar is one of the first-round picks who absoultely has to hit. Since being drafted, Nazar has been one of the prospects who excites Blackhawks fans–and pundits–and is projected to be one of the more important players not only next year–but beyond.

Previous Blackhawks Bottom Line Entries

Seth Jones | Connor Murphy | Ryan Donato | Taylor Raddysh | Joey Anderson | Jason Dickinson | Nick Foligno | Nikita Zaitsev | Philipp Kurashev | Jaycob Megna | Jarred Tinordi | Lukas Reichel | Petr Mrazek | Ethan Del Mastro | Arvid Soderblom | Colin Blackwell | Reese Johnson | Kevin Korchinski | Mackenzie Entwistle | Alex Vlasic | Landon Slaggert | Andreas Athanasiou | Tyler Johnson |

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