Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar is tired of his dentist.
‘‘Thank you, but, man, hopefully I don’t have to see you again,’’ Nazar told him this summer.
It’s nothing personal. It’s just that the easygoing 22-year-old endured enough discomfort and chewing difficulty after suffering a broken jaw in December. When two of his front teeth got knocked out during the Hawks’ third-to-last game in April, it felt a little bit like a curse.
With the teeth replaced, he no longer speaks with a lisp, but rather with ‘‘just a little bit of a whistle every now and then.’’ Nazar isn’t banking on this particular pair of fake teeth sticking around for life, though.
‘‘Hopefully I can go at least a year without seeing [my dentist] again for those reasons, [not for] a cleaning or something,’’ he joked. ‘‘But that’s hockey, and that’s how it goes. It’s what you sign up for. No complaints.’’
Nazar has split his time this offseason between Chicago and his hometown of Detroit. He thinks it’s important to enjoy some relaxation time with family and old friends back home so that Chicago ‘‘feels like something new’’ whenever he returns.
But he also has fallen in love with Chicago summers, aside from the fact that Lake Michigan water is ‘‘a little cold.’’ Training-wise, he mostly has worked in-person with Hawks skills coach Brian Keane.
They haven’t done anything revolutionary, but sometimes that’s for the best. Nazar is coming off a solid first full NHL season (15 goals and 26 assists in 66 games), but he needs to keep developing in all areas.
‘‘I’ve focused a lot on using my speed to attack wide or drive the play,’’ Nazar said. ‘‘And then if plays aren’t there, pulling and finding something late or finding the slot. [I’m] always trying to threaten with my feet and legs and speed.
‘‘Honestly, it’s all pretty similar [to previous years]. It’s just getting better at those things. . . . [Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov] does a thousand rims a day, all summer long. But he’s not bad at rims. He’s not changing up his play style. He’s just perfecting.’’
One change from Nazar’s previous summers has been a stronger emphasis on conditioning because he has learned how grueling the NHL can be. He has spent abundant time on exercise bikes.
‘‘Honestly, it’s getting to the point where I don’t even want to look at a bike,’’ he quipped.
Last season, he raced out with 11 points in 11 games in October before falling dramatically off that pace. He had only 13 points — including only two goals — in his next 32 games before picking things up again in March. Better conditioning might give him a better chance of avoiding a winter drought.
‘‘I’m focused on going into training camp . . . making sure everyone knows I worked hard this summer, I’m ready to go for the season and I want to win,’’ he said.
‘‘Another big thing I focused on this summer was bearing down on opportunities. Even if we’re up one or two goals, [I want to be] ready to score, end the game and take the will away from other teams.’’
On that note, the Hawks’ late-game struggles last season have lingered in his mind, motivating him to grind through the toughest days.
The Hawks allowed nine game-tying or -deciding goals in the final four minutes of third periods last season, letting a number of near victories slip away. Then they went 4-9 in overtimes and 3-5 in shootouts, losing out on more potential points.
‘‘I know there were chances in some of those games that I had where, if I score, the game is over and we win,’’ Nazar said. ‘‘I think about those every day on the ice and in the gym. . . . You’ve got to go into each day as a new day, so it’s not something that’s holding me back. But if I get a chance like that, I don’t want to make the same mistake.’’
Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar receives many texts about Denver injury attorney Frank Azar’s notorious billboards, naturally.
But this one really made him laugh: “I couldn’t believe it. I thought my eyes were deceiving me… I didn’t tell him to do that!” https://t.co/kpRhkQs1EV
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) August 26, 2026
Observing Kane
Nazar, like defenseman Alex Vlasic, feels confident the ultra-young Hawks will take a step forward in 2026-27. He wants to ‘‘show the league that age doesn’t matter.’’
And, like Vlasic, Nazar also has spent a lot of time skating this summer with franchise legend/newcomer Patrick Kane.
‘‘You would hear the rumors that he’s choosing between a few different teams,’’ Nazar said. “Every time on the ice, I would joke with our skills coaches, ‘I’m going extra hard today so [Kane] will sign here.’ And then we walk in one morning, and there’s a thousand cameras there. We’re all looking at each other like, ‘[Kane] must have signed.’ It was a great day.’’
Kane later mentioned during his news conference that he has been impressed by Nazar’s work ethic and speed, prompting Nazar to wonder whether they’ll end up playing together. Especially while Connor Bedard recovers from shoulder surgery, that might be the most likely scenario.
Nazar, of course, has watched Kane equally closely, if not more so. Among his observations has been one of the subtle keys to Kane’s incredible ability to possess the puck: The majority of his stick movements are purely deceptive.
‘‘He’s really good at pushing the puck into spaces,’’ Nazar said. ‘‘It’s funny. Everyone is, like, ‘Oh, his hands are great.’ And they are great, obviously. But the puck is not always on his stick when he’s stick-handling. If someone’s trying to slash him, the puck is not always on his stick to push away.’’
Nazar then proclaimed that he’s ready to ‘‘run through a wall’’ for Kane this season.
It remains to be seen exactly how much closer the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer will push the Hawks to playoff contention — and exactly how he’ll fit into a locker room populated by a younger generation. But there’s certainly no lack of anticipation.
The wait to find out is getting shorter, too. Training camp is expected to start Sept. 16 or 17, giving the Hawks just a few days to prepare for their preseason opener Sept. 19 and less than two weeks to prepare for their regular-season opener Sept. 29.
Korchinski signed
The Hawks signed defenseman Kevin Korchinski to a new two-year contract carrying a $1.325 million salary-cap hit Saturday, leaving defenseman Ethan Del Mastro as their only remaining restricted free agent.
Korchinski is no longer waivers-exempt, so he will be on the NHL roster this season. But the former seventh overall pick enters training camp without an abundantly clear route to consistent playing time. He has two years to change his so-far disappointing career trajectory.