The Chicago Blackhawks have a handful of young players who will take over leadership roles. Frank Nazar has a plan.
The Chicago Blackhawks traded away their captain and both of their alternate captains ahead of the trade deadline. Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson, and Connor Murphy were all important players on the ice, but they played big roles in the young lockeroom as well.
In the first game following their departure, Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi wore an "A" on the ice. It is unusual to only have two letters, but that was their strategy for the one match against the Vancouver Canucks.
Will they add a third by the time they play the Dallas Stars on Sunday evening? They very well may, but they may also stick with just Bedard and Bertuzzi for now.
You don't need a letter sewn into your sweater to be a leader in the NHL, as many have learned over the years. As the team gets younger, some of these guys will take over as the new leaders on the team.
That includes Frank Nazar. Sometimes, your role in hockey terms puts natural leadership expectations on you. Nazar is one of those players, and he knows it. He has a plan on how to begin this new chapter of his NHL career, and it's to emulate Nick Foligno.
“Obviously, the locker room will be quieter without Fliggy. He’s a loud, vocal guy. I'm trying to think of things that he says in the same way.”
Nick Folingo's impact on the young core is felt and will be felt for the next decade. He taught them how to lead, play the game the right way, and be pros. Nazar's words reflect some of the off-ice things that he will take away from being his teammate.
Nazar's play against the Canucks reflected a leadership mentality as well. He used his speed in all areas of the ice to make plays, defend, and give his team a chance to win.
The Hawks did not end up winning the game, but Nazar played a role in the game being close. He started it off by creating a dump-in that led to Ryan Donato's beautiful goal. Sometimes, doing the right thing with the puck can go a long way.
Later in the game, Nazar tied it by deflecting an Alex Vlasic shot into the net. It was a wonderful skill play that was a result of his going to a good area to create a deflection.
Nazar commented after the game that it always feels good to score. He has shown more playmaking ability than goal scoring in his NHL career so far, but the tools are there for him to be a scorer as well. That is especially true if he starts making nice deflections like that.
"We're here to play for Chicago," Nazar said of their first game without some of the players traded away. He knows the business side of it and is ready to move on with a focus on playing well for the Blackhawks.
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