One of the brightest young stars on the Blackhawks roster is sticking around, as Chicago has officially locked up forward Frank Nazar long term with a seven year extension. Nazar is coming off a year where he spent split time between the NHL and AHL with both Chicago and their affiliate team the Rockford Ice Hogs. In 2024-25 with Chicago, Nazar appeared in 53 games and managed to rack up 12 goals and 26 points, but had an incredible showing in Rockford where he played in just 21 games, but scored 11 goals and 24 points which was good enough to be named an AHL all star.

The contract Nazar signed was a seven year, $46.13 million extension, which for a player that only has 56 total combined games in the NHL, is incredibly impressive and is a showing of how valuable he is to the organization.

When asked about he deal, Hawks General Manger Kyle Davidson said, “Frank elevated his game last season and has proven himself to be one of the top young talents in the league”. It is clear that Nazar took an impressive jump from two season ago to last year, and has cemented himself in the conversation of the top young prospects in the entire league. Davidson continued by saying, “He drives play using his elite speed and playmaking abilities, creating problems for opponents and opportunities for teammates every night. Frank is an integral piece of our team, and we’re thrilled to have him with us for the next eight seasons.” The front office have definitely had their eyes on Nazar last season, and his standout play was the driving factor to make the deal happen in the firsts place.

With an annual cap hit of $6.59 million once the extension kicks in during the 2026-27 season, Nazar is projected to be the team’s highest payed player, although with Connor Bedard set to become a restricted free agent, it sound like Nazar will have to settle being the second highest payed member on the team. With the Blackhawks still in their rebuilding/chemistry building phase, Nazar should have many opportunities to break out in 2025-26, and could potentially further solidify himself as a top young stud in the NHL. Projected to be placed somewhere in the top six for a majority of the season, Nazar will have lots of talent beside him to let his offensive prowess shine, being placed next to Connor Bedard, Andre Burakovsky, or older veterans of the game like Tyler Bertuzzi.

This extension is well deserved for Nazar, and this upcoming year will be the perfect place for him to show the hockey world just how good his game (and that contract) will be in the future.