Bedard & Nazar Leading the Way in Blackhawks Late Season Success

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The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t had the best 2025-26 season. At the time of this writing, they have a record of 27-30-12 (64 points through 69 games), which is good for 14th (out of 16) in the Western Conference and 29th (out of 32) in the league. Depending on how you look at it, this team is either right where a rebuilding club is supposed to be, or slogging through yet another poor season when they should’ve been better by now.

Either way, the Blackhawks really want to dig in and see if they can find some success as the season winds down. They feel this is a good measuring stick towards what they can become in the 2026-27 campaign. Two players that are leading the way in this final push are Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar.

Let’s check in on these two young superstars.

Bedard’s Production & Leadership

Bedard was awarded an alternate captain designation after the leadership group of Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson were all traded away at this year’s trade deadline. He’s worn the “A” before due to injuries, but this is now ongoing through the end of the 2025-26 campaign. Most think he’ll be designated as the captain come next season, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.

Connor Bedard Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Bedard has taken on a bigger leadership role with the Chicago Blackhawks. (Matt Marton-Imagn Images)

While Bedard has always been considered a generational talent (and has lived up to that throughout most of his three NHL seasons so far), he really seems to be coming into his own of late. In the last seven games, the 20-year-old has accumulated three goals and eight points, including this game-winning overtime goal against the Utah Mammoth on Mar. 12.

Bedard also contributed the primary assist on Tyler Bertuzzi’s power play goal in this game. Two other contests in this stretch were also two-point contests, where he provided two helpers apiece.

On Mar. 9, after yet another matchup versus the Mammoth (one of Bedard’s two assist nights), head coach Jeff Blashill said he knew the production was coming,

It’s interesting, he’s actually had a lot of chances here since the (Olympic) break. Sometimes they go in easy, sometimes they don’t. Before we went on the western Canadian road swing early in the year, him and I talked. I was like, man just stay with it, because it’s going to come. Then he had tons of production on that trip. I can see a similar kind of thing right now, where he’s getting a ton of chances that the production will definitely come.

Beyond his contributions on the score sheet, Bedard has ramped up his competitiveness. Against the Mammoth on Mar. 9, he was credited with a career-high four hits. He hasn’t been afraid to back down when challenged on the ice, and he’s even gotten into some staredowns with fans while on the road (see the video clip above).

Related – Bedard’s Competitive Fire Is Fueling the Blackhawks

Oh, and then there’s this takeaway, breakaway and backhand beauty that ended up being the game-winning goal on Mar. 19 versus the Wild.

This was Bedard’s 12th game-winning goal, which surpassed both Jonathan Toews and Bobby Hull in franchise history for most by a Blackhawks’ player 20 years old or younger. Bedard is currently tied with Bertuzzi for the team lead in goals, with 28. His 37 assists and 65 points are first on the Blackhawks by a mile. He’s currently just two points shy of matching career high of 67 points, despite missing 13 games with a shoulder injury. He’s also just seven points away from 200 career NHL points, with 13 games to go.

Nazar Finding His Groove

While Bedard may have the better overall body of work, Nazar has been improving incrementally throughout the season. He hasn’t been as consistent as Bedard, but he’s had a nice run recently that shows his potential.

In the last nine games, Nazar boasts four goals and 10 points, including the game-winning overtime goal against Utah on Mar. 9.

In this stretch, Nazar amassed four two-point nights, three with a goal and an assist and one with two assists. Even so, a sticking point is Nazar’s inconsistency throughout the season, especially since he inked a huge seven-year contract extension ($6.59 million cap hit) in the 2025 offseason. Coach Blashill doesn’t sound too concerned.

Frank has high expectations, and we have high expectations of Frank. And those are going to be high again next year. He’s a second year NHL player. It’s not an easy league. I can go through a number of guys, including guys I’ve coached through second years, that were tough years. Sometimes things go your way, and then sometimes they don’t. You’ve got to learn how to react to that. And what I love about what Frank did tonight (Mar. 9, OT goal) is how hard he competed on the puck. He won tons of pucks. The hit he took in the third to make a play. All that stuff matters a ton. I think he understands that good process results will follow from that. He’s a talented person. So if he has good process, results will follow. None of this stuff is ever going to go smooth all the time. That’s what life is. And you’re going to get knocked down. Do you get back up? And he’s had some moments, I’m sure, where he’s felt like he got knocked down. He gets back up well. He’s a confident kid. (I have) a lot of belief in the success he’ll have in the future.

That’s a pretty big vote of confidence from the coach. In the meantime, Nazar expressed after his OT goal on Mar. 9 that he feels his game is starting to open up a little bit.

I think that it’s honestly, I think that it’s been there. I had a lot of meetings with Blash and the coaches and stuff, and talked about a few things personally. And then I think (it’s) really executing on these opportunities that you get. I think even games before (when I) haven’t scored, or pucks not going in or not getting the play to finish. It’s all been there; it’s just a matter of if that puck crossed the line. So I’ll keep my head high and stay humble and just continue to work and getting better each day is the key. 

Again, this 22-year-old doesn’t boast the numbers of Bedard. But his 23 assists rank second on the team, and his 34 points ranks third (behind Bedard and Bertuzzi). It should also be noted that Nazar missed 16 games earlier in the season due to a broken jaw.

Frank Nazar Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks’ center Frank Nazar celebrates a goal. (Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images)

As Blashill mentioned above, Nazar is only in his second NHL campaign. He’s played in 53 games to date, which was also his total amount of games played last season (he suited up for three games at the end of the 2023-24 season as well). There’s still plenty of time for him to find his groove and continue to improve.

Blackhawks’ Core Players Showing Promise for the Future

Bedard is the team’s No. 1 center, and Nazar is No. 2. These are obviously two core players for the Blackhawks. If they can find success, it bodes well for the team and for the franchise moving forward. What they’ve been doing in the later part of this 2025-26 season is impressive, and shows promise for the future. While this goal (Mar. 17 vs. the Wild) didn’t result in an eventual win, it’s a perfect example of how Bedard and Nazar are coming up clutch for the team.

The Blackhawks are currently a respectable 3-2-2 over the last seven matchups, and Bedard and Nazar have each combined for three goals in that span. With 13 games to go in the 2025-26 season, there’s still plenty of time for the Blackhawks, and these two young superstars, to finish off strong. Can they add to their production, and lead the way towards a better 2026-27 campaign?

Related – Blackhawks News & Rumors: Boisvert Signing Watch, Bedard & Team Grit

Bedard and Nazar are hot right now, and a great reason to tune in as the season winds down. Let’s see if they can keep the ball rolling.

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