Frank Nazar regaining his form is huge for the Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar has had an up-and-down sophomore season in the NHL to say the least. Similar to teammate and close friend Connor Bedard, Nazar has undergone a year two marked by learning and growth amid what has been a roller coaster campaign for the young 22-year-old Michigan native.

After beginning 25-26 on a tear in October/November, Nazar went down with a broken jaw in December that sidelined him for over a month. Frank struggled to find his early-season form upon returning from injury with just three points in his first 11 games back.

However, that has started to change this past month. "Frank the Tank" is currently riding a four-game tear with two goals and four assists during that stretch. This was capped with a beautiful game-winning goal in last night's 3-2 victory in overtime versus the Utah Mammoth.

That goal has to be huge for Nazar's confidence. He has clearly been playing with more of his usual swagger of late, looking like his best self. This is big for a Blackhawks team that needs Nazar to be among its top performers.

A confident Frank Nazar is dangerous

When Nazar is on his game, he has the ability to be a game-breaking player in this league. There is a reason Chicago GM Kyle Davidson entrusted Frank with a juicy seven-year $6.7 million contract extension last summer. He will be expected to be one of this squad's core pieces of the future that help bring this club out of a long rebuild and back into Stanley Cup contention.

While Nazar is still on his entry-level contract and his raise does not kick in until next season, it is crucial that he performs and continues to show strides in his development. For now, he is the second most important forward on this team behind Bedard. He needs to show he can be that ever-valuable second-line center that can be relied on in the big moments.

So far, that clutch gene is something Frank has shown flashes of. He tends to play at his best when the spotlight is brightest. His GWG on Monday was the second OT winner of his career, with signs of plenty more on the way with the star power Nazar has employed in bunches.

The point is that when Bedard is not at his best, Nazar will be one of the main players who will need to step up when the time comes. The highly anticipated arrival of Anton Frondell will take some of the pressure off, but bottom line, Nazar should be a consistent force in this offensive group moving forward.

Therefore, it is an encouraging sign that Nazar once again appears to be ending another season strong. He played his best hockey in his rookie season, towards the end of the campaign, which led to an opportunity with Team USA at the IIHF World Championship. Frank went on to lead a gold medal winning USA team in tournament production with 12 points in 7 games.

That was the momentum he was able to carry over into the start of this season. Jeff Blashill and the Blackhawks will hope Nazar can keep his current form going for the rest of this year and translate that into a breakout year three in 26-27. With 9 goals and 21 assists in 48 games so far, we'll see what Frank's stat line looks like at the end of the season as he aims to close a hot and cold year on a high note.