Things have been pretty quiet for the $46 million man.
The season began perfectly for Frank Nazar. The center scored the first goal of the NHL season in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3-2 loss at the Florida Panthers.
His play was flawless, he flowed well with his linemates and he developed a new part of his game with puck passing.
All the good — and bad — from the Chicago Blackhawks through the first quarter of the NHL season
In the first 10 games of the season, the Detroit native tallied 11 points (five goals and six assists). It was looking like Nazar was chugging toward a superstar season like his good friend Connor Bedard.
The Nazar Express, though, may have reached a brief stop.
“(My season’s) been okay, pretty up and down, (but I’ve) been working on staying consistent, playing a full game and being able to do that every night,” Nazar said. “There’s a lot of room to improve on and things will get better.”
Nazar’s last 10 games — he missed two contests due to an injury suffered in Calgary, Alberta, versus the Flames — have yielded just four points, all from assists. His last goal came in a 7-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 28.
Hawks skaters have had their regression periods, with Sam Rinzel being the most recent. But now the lull now reached No. 91. Despite the cold stretch, Nazar is focusing on playing his best.
“(I’m) just trying to stick to my routes, play good hockey and try to be smart,” he said. “It’s something that’ll come as you keep playing and getting chances.”
The center hasn’t completely disappeared, though, and neither has his confidence. He’s had 25 shots on goal over his last 10 games, and the four assists came in four consecutive games (Toronto Maple Leafs, Flames, Seattle Kraken, Sabres). For him, the highs and lows are a part of playing in the NHL.
“That’s the game of hockey, sometimes it goes in (and) most of the time it comes in bunches,” Nazar said. “If you’re gonna score and score a lot, you’re gonna ride that flow and ride that confidence.
“In practice, there’s times where I score and feel good, so it’s like, why not do that in the game? Why get rid of that feeling and why play low?”
Hawks coach Jeff Blashill knows Nazar is trying hard to get back to business as usual. Blashill is seeing the impact that Nazar had on games, despite it not showing on the stat sheet.
“There’s been moments where he’s created (and while) I think he hasn’t played quite as good as he had earlier in the year, that’s a little bit of the ebb and flow of the season,” Blashill said. “I’d expect him to get back going at a higher rate here, certainly offensively.
“He’s been out the last little bit, (but) I think he’s got to another level to his game as of late. He probably played hurt and he’s working through that.”
Nazar has played on the second line with Oliver Moore for the past few of games — and he’s noticed the improvements with the speedster Moore on his wing.
“(I don’t feel) as fast as I normally feel, but it’s been fun,” Nazar said of playing with Moore. “He’s a good player, super fast, super smart and it’s been nice seeing him get in quick on pucks.”
Nazar is hoping to get back to his game fairly quickly. And when he does, expect the Hawks to run up the scoreboard.
“(I) try not to focus on (the stretch) too much, but obviously (I’ll) work on things that will help me and put me in good spots in future games.” Nazar said.