Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Grades: Frank Nazar

Nazar had such a strange season for the Chicago Blackhawks. The Michigan product got off to a hot start in October, but went ice cold in November. A 22-game goalless streak unfortunately defined his season for awhile before scoring against the Montreal Canadiens. Then, the injury happened.

Nazar missed time from late December to late January with a broken jaw. Upon returning, Nazar started to look like his normal self, ending the season strong for the Hawks. Despite only playing 66 games and having an atrocious cold streak, Nazar still managed to finish third on the team in scoring, only trailing Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi. His 41 points made him just one of three players to finish with more than 40 points for the Hawks.

Next season, Nazar will be on his new contract that he signed prior to the 2025-26 season.

Player Grades

Blackhawks Cowboy’s Grade: B

Exciting? Yes. Consistent? Not yet. Frank Nazar had a very solid second season in the NHL. Despite only playing 66 games due to injuries, Nazar still broke the 40-point plateau with 41, 15 being goals. As Chicago’s 2C for most of the season, it was a revolving door of wingers for the youngster, who still found ways to help produce. However, Nazar lost a lot of his footing after his injury and went cold to end the year. The biggest thing that Hawks fans need to look for is Nazar to take the top level of his game and apply it night in and night out. Because when Frank the Tank is on, boy is he on.

Tony Marchese’s Grade: B-

Injuries stink, especially when they happen to good players. They can derail a ton of momentum and that’s what happened to Frank Nazar this season. Arguably the Blackhawks second-highest powered offensive weapon entering the season, Nazar got off to a hot start, and it helped propel what was a very fun start to the season. That all came to a crashing halt when Nazar missed some significant time in the middle of the season, and took a few weeks to get back into the swing of things after returning. The stuff is there. A full healthy season of Frank can be A type of stuff, for now I’ll stick with a B-.

Ron Luce’s Grade: B

Although the middle part of the season was defined by a BRUTAL dry spell for Frank Nazar, Nazar had a nice start and a really strong finish. It was a tough season for Nazar, including a broken jaw that left him out of the lineup for over a month. Ideally, it will be a better season for Nazar in 2026-27, but his season this past year was still really good. He finished third on the team in points, and did a brilliant job generating offense as the third line center when Anton Frondell moved to the middle.

What’s On Tap Next?

Entering a new season with a new contract, expectations will be higher for Frank Nazar. As noted by our panelists, Nazar has been inconsistent, but incredible when he is on. A full season of the full-go version of Nazar could mean big things for the Blackhawks.

Tell us if you agree with our grades! What would you give Frank Nazar? Let us know at @FourFeathersPod on X and Instagram!