Bedard may be the franchise guy, but Nazar is the Blackhawks' most important piece

As the Blackhawks rebuild begins to produce some really solid talent, their franchise guy Connor Bedard is the center stone of the operation, however right now it seems that Frank Nazar is their most important player, and a player who has the world at his feet.

After signing a seven-year deal to stay in Chicago during the offseason, Nazar after only 56 games in the NHL was locked down as one of the Chicago Blackhawks most important pieces of the rebuild. However, if preseason is anything to go by, Nazar is now arguably the Blackhawks most important player, and is the sharp shooting finisher they have been looking for.

Last season Nazar ended the year by showcasing a lot of very well taken goals, ending his first year in the NHL with 12, and with the 2025-26 season looming, his preseason performances so far have shown why he is the Blackhawks next sniper.

When Bedard was drafted in 2023, he was the guy who instantly became the franchise player, and he was set to be the goal scoring and playmaking machine. Now, with how Nazar has been establishing himself, the goal-scoring workload seems to be his forte. With how young the Blackhawks roster is becoming, and how effective an important Nazar has become already at only 21 years old with less than a full NHL season under his belt, at the moment he could be considered their most important player.

The preseason so far has shown Blackhawks fans why Nazar is going to be an elite NHL scorer and playmaker, and at the moment, he just seems to haver the scoring touch, and is producing way more than anybody else. Sure, Bedard is still going to be the franchise guy, and the guy that leads the future success, but right now for the Blackhawks, Frank Nazar is where the goals are coming from, and with how quickly he is developing, who knows how good he will become.