{"id":565304,"date":"2026-05-02T21:03:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T21:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/565304\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T21:03:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T21:03:17","slug":"chicago-blackhawks-2025-26-player-grades-nick-lardis-the-hockey-writers-chicago-blackhawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/565304\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 Player Grades: Nick Lardis – The Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Chicago Blackhawks<\/a>\u00a0finished their 2025-26 campaign 31st\u00a0in the league, with a record of 29-39-14 and 72 points. It was an improvement from last season\u2019s totals of 25-46-11 (61 points), but the organization had more progress in mind when they embarked on this campaign. The good news is the Blackhawks finished with more wins and more points than the previous season. They also feel they\u2019ve taken positive strides in the growth and development of a plethora of young players, who could be a big part of a more successful future.<\/p>\n

In this summer series, we\u2019ll hand out individual grades to every player on the team. Today, we highlight winger Nick Lardis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lardis\u2019 Season Stats<\/p>\n

10 goals, 5 assists, 15 points, minus\u201318 in 41 games played. Average time on ice (ATOI) of 12:40 minutes<\/p>\n

46.5 Corsi For Percentage (at Even Strength) (CF%), 12 blocked shots, 57 hits, 5 takeaways, 19 giveaways, 10 penalty minutes<\/p>\n

Contract Status: Entry-Level Contract (ELC) runs through the 2027-28 season, $865,000 cap hit<\/p>\n

Season Overview<\/p>\n

It was a good year of development for Lardis, transitioning from a 71-goal season with the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL. <\/p>\n

He started his first pro season with the Rockford IceHogs and was very successful there. He got his first NHL call-up in December after Connor Bedard suffered a shoulder injury. He started his first NHL stint in a bottom-six role with Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore, and he recorded his first NHL goal in his fourth game against the Ottawa Senators.<\/p>\n

He got sent back to Rockford in late January after Teuvo Ter\u00e4v\u00e4inen came back from a six-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and Lardis continued to thrive there. He was named to the AHL All-Star Game roster in January<\/a>, alongside defenseman Kevin Korchinski and IceHogs\u2019 captain Brett Seney, who participated in the festivities in February. He finished his season in Rockford with 32 points (18 goals) in 35 games. His knack for scoring is evident. <\/p>\n

Lardis was recalled to the Blackhawks again in March, after the trade deadline. The team traded Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson, and Colton Dach, which opened up a forward spot.<\/p>\n

\"NickNick Lardis, Chicago Blackhawks (Talia Sprague-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

He had a bit of a rollercoaster in his return, playing a fourth-line role with limited minutes, which didn\u2019t seem beneficial for him or the team. Head coach Jeff Blashill <\/a>wanted him to demand more minutes, and he did. <\/p>\n

Lardis got promoted to the Blackhawks\u2019 second line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Frank Nazar, and that clicked. He had five points in a four-game span, with Blashill even commenting he thought his one game against the Nashville Predators was his best game, and then his following game against the New York Islanders, where he had a three-point night, was even better.<\/p>\n

He grew in his confidence that Blashill commented on his development, saying, \u201cHe\u2019s a smart, smart player with a good skill set, you know, who\u2019s going to put work in the summer with his body. But he\u2019s a smart player that when he\u2019s playing with that confidence, he\u2019s a good player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quotable Quote<\/p>\n

In Lardis\u2019 exit interviews, he touched on his season, which included building chemistry with his teammates. including Oliver Moore, with whom he lived in Rockford <\/a>and experienced the AHL and NHL transition together. It also earned them the \u201cBiggest Bromance\u201d Award<\/a> in my colleague Gail Kauchak\u2019s Blackhawks player awards piece.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, he got a lot of experience up and down the lineup, and he mentioned wanting to work on overall strength this summer, wanting to win more puck battles next year. For reference, he\u2019s 5-foot-11, 165 pounds. <\/p>\n

And when it comes to building upon his scoring skill, there is a lot of confidence, including from Lardis himself, in his NHL goal-scoring capability going forward.<\/p>\n

But this quote from assistant coach Mike Vellucci about Lardis from January stands out, <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you know what\u2019s great about him? He\u2019s getting better every day, and he wants to get better every day. That\u2019s a big part of it. He\u2019s a very intelligent player. He\u2019s finding ways and areas to score here compared to in the OHL and in the American League, and that takes an adjustment. But what\u2019s great about it is it hasn\u2019t taken him that long to figure it out. <\/p>\n

He knows that the goals come around the blue paint, and if he can get closer to the paint, he\u2019ll do a good job. But a great kid, and he\u2019s putting all the skill set together, you know, at this level, and learning from all those experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lardis\u2019 Final Grade: B<\/p>\n

I think Lardis adjusted well despite playing all around the lineup, and he started putting it together at the end of the season, which was encouraging. The 20-year-old seems like someone who can be a weapon on the Blackhawks\u2019 power play and a top-six option in the future. Furthermore, working on his strength this summer should be an asset to his overall game.<\/p>\n

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