Frank Nazar

And even then, I'm sure Jeff Blaschel in Chicago is going to be doing a lot of tinkering because he's got a young team there and he's got a situation where his His franchise cornerstone, Conor Bedard, is going to be out until November, so they're probably going to be trying some different combos.

But right now on Daily Faceoff, they were projecting a second line in Chicago of Nick Lardis on the left with Frank Nazar in the middle and Patrick Kane.

over on the right side.

And when you have a guy with a nose for the net like Nick Lardis does, if he's playing power play minutes, whether it's on the first or the second unit, if he's playing regular shifts with playmaking type of players like Patrick Kane and Frank Nazar, there could be a chance for some offensive production there and for an uptick in offensive production.

And with Conor Bedard out, There's an opportunity for some others across that lineup to pick up the slack, and Anton Frondell's there now, and that group of defensemen that I do think has a lot of promise is a year older, and I think Spencer Knight looks like he's going to be the franchise goalie there in Chicago for the better part of the next decade.

There are finally some reasons for some serious optimism there.

Like, I just, some of the guys that, that they have, so Connor Bedard, obviously fantastic elite center.

Frank Nazar has the potential to be, like, a really good 2C.

Anton Frondel lit up the Swedish league as a 19-year-old, and he came into the, the NHL at the end of last season, played center for the Blackhawks, and was over half a point per game as a 19-year-old.

Like, and he's huge, too, so, like, I, I love him as a prospect.

Like, I just, some of the guys that, that they have, so Connor Bedard, obviously fantastic elite center.

Frank Nazar has the potential to be, like, a really good two C. Anton Frondel lit up the Swedish league as a 19-year-old, and he came into the, the NHL at the end of last season, played center for the Blackhawks and was over half a point per game as a 19-year-old.

Like, and he's huge, too.

So, like, I, I love him as a prospect.

And the other thing, you know, when you have really good depth is you can absorb injuries better.

And, you know, last year we were in a really good spot before Christmas and then Connor got hurt and right away Frank Nazar got hurt.

So we probably just didn't have the depth at the time to absorb some of those losses.

And I think this year, by both additions, but also by the growth of our young players, by those two things, I think we're in a better position, I should say, to have better depth through the course of the season, to both give us a little more consistency on a night-to-night basis where we look like we're playing closer to the top of our game because different guys are doing it different nights, but also to absorb what always happens, and obviously we're going to have that on the onset of injuries.

Bedard's entering his fourth year.

You got key pieces like Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore on the back end, Artem Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, even Wyatt Kaiser and Alex Vlasic.

Like, all these guys who have now been around for a couple of years, they're starting to gain some real experience and know how to play with each other, understand how to win at the highest level.

I know they haven't been doing a lot of that.

He's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, no questions if, ands, about.

But when I look at the 2026, 2027 Blackhawks team, I say there is two guys, in my opinion, that's gonna benefit the most from having a guy like Patrick Kane back as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks.

That's Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar.

Would you agree? And if so, what player would you add to that list as well?

Sorry.

Um, Anthony Beauvillier, and now Frank Nazar.

[laughs] And I apologize to Drake.

Um, here's a fun fact for number 91.

Anthony Beauvillier, uh, has been involved in some of the, some of absolute blockbuster moves over his career, having been traded at various points for Martin San Luis, Martin St. Louis, Anthony Cirelli, and Bo Horvat.

As for the top dog here, it's Frank Nazar.

Acquired with the 13th overall pick in 2022 via the Kir- Kirby Dach trade to Montreal, Nazar has firmly established himself as a center pillar of this rebuild.

After breaking onto the scene with a goal in his three-game debut, followed by a strong showing in Rockford and Chicago, he took huge strides last season despite two injury inter- interruptions.