Blackhawks sign breakout star Alex Vlasic to longterm extension

In a lot of ways Alex Vlasic was the Chicago Blackhawks best defenseman in 2023-24. The 2019 second round pick made his first real NHL impact this season playing in 76 games putting up 16 points during that time.

Vlasic averaged 21:29 minutes of ice time a night, behind only Seth Jones. The 22-year-old defenseman is well on his way to being a leader on the Blackhawks, and now he has a nice new contract to remain in the windy city.

Chicago Blackhawks sign Alex Vlasic to a massive longterm extension.

Kyle Davidson is getting his work done early before the 2024 NHL Draft Lottery. While the team might not be playing hockey, Davidson locked up one of, if not his most important, pending free agents.

The Blackhawks signed Vlasic to a six-year contract that runs through the 2029-30 season with a $4.6 million salary cap hit, the team announced on Thursday.

“Alex made enormous strides this year and proved he is a legitimate top-four defenseman in the NHL,” said Davidson in a press release. “In his first full season in the NHL, Alex established himself as an important piece of our young core, and we’re excited to have him with us for the next six years.”

The biggest sentence out of Davidson's quote has to be "Alex established himself as an important piece of our young core." The Blackhawks are starting to put the pieces together of what the future of this team will look like.

Bedard is obviously the face of the franchise, but defensemen like Vlasic are just as important to winning. This is the first long term deal of Kyle Davidson's tenure as General Manager, and it is important that it goes to someone like Vlasic.

The underlining numbers also put Vlasic near the top of defensemen, not just on the Blackhawks but in the entire league. Vlasic blocked 148 shots, dished out 56 hits and had 60 takeaways.

Vlasic is 6-foot-6 and 217 pounds, he has the size to be a real game changer in the NHL. The young Hawk grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and has quickly become an ideal linemate for Seth Jones as the top defensive pairing on the team. Fans will have another big opportunity to watch them play alongside each other on Team USA at the World Championships this May.