Throughout this season, the Blackhawks have made more than their fair share of moves. From shaking up the lineup on a nightly basis all the way to firing their head coach, the team has been a revolving door in which no one quite knows what to expect.
Still, a few moves are more predictable than others. On Friday morning, the Blackhawks finally made their most highly anticipated transaction of the year, calling up their top prospect. Forward Frank Nazar was brought up to the big show and will make his season debut Saturday against the Devils.
It’s no secret that Chicago is willing to try anything to spark its offense. After all, it’s fair to say that the offense is probably the reason head coach Luke Richardson was fired last week – he’s a more than capable defensive mind, but his team just couldn’t score. The Blackhawks have been slightly better under interim Anders Sorensen, but a large part of that is due to a late surge in Thursday’s loss to the Islanders.
After three games of getting a feel for the lineup he was given, it certainly appears that Sorensen asked GM Kyle Davidson for a bit of help – and that’s exactly what the young general manager gave him. Nazar’s 24 points this season are good for sixth in the entire AHL, and his showing on the ice has matched that elite mark – after dominating with the IceHogs up to this point, he seems ready to take the next step.
Now that Nazar is with the big club, they’re throwing him right in. With Craig Smith out tomorrow with a lower back injury, the youngster is slotting in on the second line, centering Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi. He’ll be on the top power-play unit as well.
There’s an argument to be made that bringing Nazar to the Blackhawks too early could disrupt his confidence and “ruin” him, but it certainly seems like the best thing for him. He’s dominating the AHL – the same argument was made for Kevin Korchinski a year and a half ago when the team was deciding whether to leave him in the WHL for another season, but he had nothing left to learn. Meanwhile, I wrote Thursday that a change is needed in Rockford to put someone with actual coaching experience at the helm of the IceHogs. If the Blackhawks refuse to do so, getting Nazar out as soon as possible is the best thing for him. Couple that with the fact that he’ll be rejoining Sorensen, who helped Nazar transform into the consistent, mega-talented player he is today, and you get a perfect storm of reasons Nazar belongs at the game’s top level.
There’s no telling what the future holds with Nazar. The corresponding move to this one was to place defenseman Alex Martinez on injured reserve, so who knows how long he’ll be in the NHL. He may not even be the first man on the chopping block when an IR player returns – Seth Jones should be back sometime soon, but Chicago could send down Louis Crevier when he does so. If the Blackhawks are looking to remove a forward from the NHL roster, they could shed Joey Anderson, who has already cleared waivers. This move may not be permanent, but it certainly makes the Blackhawks a bit more exciting moving forward.
