After seven consecutive games together, the Chicago Blackhawks will split up linemates Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard.
It’s not that Nazar’s shift to the second line is a demotion, it’s more for Bedard’s sake, to give him a natural winger in Ilya Mikheyev instead of another center in Nazar.
“I want to try to get Connor back in the middle, try to get some more pucks in motion,” interim coach Anders Sorensen said. “I think he’s played there a lot obviously, split them up a little bit, see how it goes.”
As much as Nazar’s and Bedard’s similar styles and skills can present challenges for defenses, it’s easy to see how they might clash as well. It was a productive collaboration for a stretch in January and the beginning of March, but they’ve generated one goal to six goals-against in the last seven games.
Nazar’s assists are down, accordingly. He discussed that and other topics with the Tribune.
1. Nazar has his own tuck rule, so to speak.
For most games, it seems like fans only see the top half of the “91” on the back of his jersey, with the bottom half tucked under.
It has become his signature look, but he swears it’s not by design.
“Honestly, I don’t do it on purpose, it just happens,” he said. “You’ve got to watch, once I get off the ice, either the trainers or myself are constantly putting it back out, putting it back out, putting it back out — and then the second I get on the ice, it just folds right back in.
“It’s been something that’s always happened throughout my life, probably the way I skate. It just happens.”
Lukas Reichel laughed when the subject was broached. He has the opposite problem.
“If I tuck it in, it always falls out because I tuck it in the back,” he said.
It’s not something Reichel tries to do much anymore.
“I did it when I was 16, just to look cooler,” he said, adding that his father discouraged it. “My dad told me one time … he looked at me and said, ‘Put your jersey on normal,’ and then I did it.”
But Reichel supports Nazar’s hockey version of a midriff.
“You can do whatever you want, so I don’t think (Nazar’s) style is that bad as some guys say in here. … We’ve got Bert (Tyler Bertuzzi) on the team, so we’ve definitely got a diverse style on the team.”
Nazar, 21, acted surprised to learn he was the butt of some ribbing, though he conceded he gets some grief from Hawks head equipment manager Troy Parchman.
“Parchy and the trainers get mad at me — obviously I don’t want to get them in trouble — because I don’t know if you’re even allowed to do that (by league rules),” Nazar said. “But they tease me about it, trying to get me to fix it.
“But I do fix it, and it just goes right back to how it was. So it’s nothing I can really control.”
2. Who’s the fastest skater?
Several Hawks couldn’t say for sure who’s the speediest.
“I don’t know, I think Frankie’s got some pace to his game as well,” Sorensen said. “I think we’ve got some others, but Mikkey’s (Ilya Mikheyev) fast.”
Said Reichel: “Frank is pretty fast. Vlas (Alex Vlasic), when he gets going, is pretty fast. … I guess we have to fight out like we go after practice, goal line to goal line or something. I think Mikkey is probably faster from the start. Like, when he stands still, his first couple steps, I would say.”
At least there’s a consensus about Mikheyev.
“Mikkey’s so explosive, so fast,” Nazar said. “Reich is too. (Andreas) Athanasiou is super fast. I don’t know, we have a lot of guys (with) some good speed. That’d be a cool race, something to test.”
The Hawks do test speed during camp, but no one could recall how they measured up.
“We did one thing … like goal line to blue line, something like that,” Nazar said. “But I don’t know how … fast it was. But once you get out there in the game, it’s a different story.”
Which is true. Circumstances in a game — namely defenders looking to knock you on your keister — can dictate how you can skate.
Forwards in the league have reached an average top speed of 22.18 mph and defensemen 21.6 mph, according to NHL Edge statistics, which the United Center feeds in real time to its big video board.
Here are the top speeds this season for some Hawks:
- Athanasiou: 23.29
- Mikheyev: 23.18
- Nazar: 23.07
- Reichel: 23.04
- Vlasic: 22.80
Nazar’s not ready to concede that score is his best.
“Hopefully I can go faster, I think I can,” he said. “I’m trying to think of a time where I was absolutely going full speed. I like being able to pick up speed, curl around the net, anything like that.”
3. Does Nazar need help with assists?
A significant part of Nazar’s game has been his playmaking, but his assists have dried up. He had a goal and five assists last month, but in March he has three goals and no assists.
If that stands, it would be his first month without an assists. The 2022 first-round pick has 10 in 43 games this season entering Friday night’s matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights at the United Center.
“I think there’s been chances where a lot of good chances (have been) set up, a lot of good chances going both ways” between him and linemates, Nazar said. “There are a lot of times where we should’ve gotten chances and should’ve gotten points off plays.
“And that’s hockey, that’s how it goes.”
Nazar also acknowledged that by playing in the top six — and a lot of times on the top line — he has faced stiffer competition.
“It’s a big difference, playing against other teams’ third and fourth lines and going to play against other teams’ first and second lines,” he said. “Everyone’s all-around games are a lot better, you know? So when you go out there, it’s always you’ve got to be careful, you’ve got to make the right plays.”
Assists, goals and defense are all part of his “all-around game” that’s his focus, not one particular aspect of it.
“That’s nothing to worry about,” Nazar said of the assists. “Just keep playing my game and everything’s going to work out.”
