Chicago Blackhawks take biggest gamble of the offseason with $46M signing of rookie forward

On Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks organization confirmed that they had reached a deal with the 21-year-old center Frank Nazar. Indeed, both camps agreed on a seven-year, $46.13M contract.

With the player entering the final year of his entry-level contract, the Hawks will be able to count on Nazar for the next eight seasons.

Given Nazar's tough injury history, the player must be happy to have confirmed his spot in the Hawks' long-term plans, but for the organization, there is a part of risk associated with the deal.

Although he had a promising season last year, performed well at the Men's World Championship, and was invited to Team USA's Orientation Camp ahead of the 2026 Olympic Games, there are still doubts surrounding his health.

Back in 2022, Nazar was forced to miss several months of action due to a knee injury, which many Hawks fans found concerning.

But the player bounced back from adversity and could be on his way to having a breakout season.

After scoring 10 points in the final 11 games of the season, Nazar won the Gold with the United States at the WC, tallying 12 points in 10 games.

Nazar's development will be interesting to follow this season, as he takes on the role of second center. At the same time next year, when Anton Frondell comes into town, he'll need to compete for his spot.

While his deal can be seen as a gamble by some, others see it as a win for both sides.

If he stays healthy and keeps developing, the $6.59 million AAV deal will become a bargain.