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The Chicago Blackhawks had a quiet offseason, hoping their young talent will push them forward in 2025-26. Connor Bedard is coming off a poor second season, dealing with some injuries. The Blackhawks did get a stellar first season out of center Frank Nazar and rewarded him with a contract extension. Was it too much for Chicago to pay him on a small sample size? Or did Nazar ink a long-term deal too early?
The Blackhawks gave Nazar a seven-year contract with a $6.59 million average annual value. It does not start until the 2026-27 season, with his rookie contract lasting through this season. As of the signing, Nazar would be the highest-paid player on the team for the 2026-27 season. But his deal could be passed by Bedard if he signs a long-term deal. Chicago made a bet on their first-round pick, but will it pay off?
The Blackhawks were smart to try to get Nazar's extension done early. Bedard will need a new contract after the season, and it could be a negotiation between long-term security and a bridge deal to free agency. If he sees Nazar on the team, maybe there is a better chance Bedard signs a long-term deal. Just for that alone, Chicago gets a high grade on this deal.
In Nazar's first full season with the Blackhawks, he scored 12 goals and 26 points in 53 games. While that is not an elite pace that his salary may command, he can grow into a point-per-game player. At 21 years old, he showed flashes offensively and some solid speed. He will grow as a player, and his cap hit will be stagnant through that period.
The Blackhawks get an A- for the Nazar extension. The most likely scenario is that he outperforms his AAV early in the deal, as the salary cap explodes.
Frank Nazar locks up with Blackhawks, continues trend
Nazar will be 22 years old when this contract begins and 29 when it ends. So, the deal buys out two years of unrestricted free agency. He does have a modified no-trade clause for the final two years of the deal. The Blackhawks hope they are a competitive team by then, meaning he won't want a trade. For the team, it's a great bet. For the player, it's sacrificing money for the sake of a team that has not been competitive in five years.
Despite his standing as a first-round pick and a top prospect, Nazar should not have signed this contract. He is another in a long list of players to sign a long-term deal before hitting free agency and costing himself millions. Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils signed an eight-year, $8 million deal at 21 years old and is already considered one of the best value contracts in the league. Nazar does not want to take the baton from Hughes.
If Nazar takes the step forward the Blackhawks expect him to, this contract will be among the best in the league soon. There is plenty of cap space available for Chicago to give him, especially with the cap rising again next year. But he has not earned an $8 million payday in only 56 games.
Not only did Nazar lock in for the rest of his 20s, but he signed the deal one year before he had to. With 82 more games on his resume, he could have signed a seven- or eight-year deal for security, but at a higher cap hit earned from a solid 2025-26 campaign.
Nazar gets a C+ for this deal. It is hard to destroy any 21-year-old who just secured $46 million that will change his life. But believing in his ability and growth could have gotten him even more and into unrestricted free agency sooner.
