On Aug. 22, the Chicago Blackhawks signed forward Frank Nazar to a seven-year extension worth $6.59 million annually. The 21-year-old, a former 13th overall pick in 2022, just completed his rookie season, scoring 12 goals with 14 assists for 26 points in 53 games.
While that's not a ridiculous point total, the Blackhawks saw enough to know that Nazar is going to play a critical role in returning the franchise to greatness.
When we look at the NHL Draft—and every sports draft—a lot of it is luck, as prospects are hit and miss all the time, especially outside of the lottery picks (1–10).
Daniil Prokhorov Interview New York Islanders prospect Daniil Prokhorov stole the show at the club's Blue & White scrimmage during development camp week. The second-round pick was clearly excited to be there and loved the fans.
When it came to Nazar, he was actually someone the Islanders could have potentially had back in 2022.
For those that don't remember, the New York Islanders held the 13th overall pick in that draft but elected to move that selection to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Alexander Romanov.
The Islanders also received Montreal's 2022 fourth-round pick, using the 98th overall selection to draft Isaiah George, who has already proven that he could be a catalyst on their blue line after getting a taste of NHL action this past season.
The Canadiens, however, didn't hold onto the Islanders' first-round pick for long, sending it to the Blackhawks in exchange for forward Kirby Dach, with the hope that he could be a difference-maker in their lineup.
Flash forward to now, and Dach has struggled mightily to stay healthy and be the guy they expected. The Canadiens did make the playoffs this past season, losing in the first round to the Washington Capitals—their first postseason appearance since the 2020–21 season, when they lost in the Stanley Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
So, they've overcome the Dach debacle.
For the Islanders, Romanov's physicality and aggressiveness were rewarded with an eight-year extension worth $6.75 million annually this past summer.
Over his three seasons on Long Island, he's emerged as a top-pairing defenseman for the club and could be viewed as the team's No. 1 defenseman heading into the 2025–26 season with Noah Dobson now a member of the Canadiens.
Nazar and the Blackhawks still have a ways to go to get back to relevancy, but with Connor Bedard and a young group, hopefully it won't take too long for them to return to being a playoff team.
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