The Chicago Blackhawks could ink rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic to a long-term deal this summer, shares Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Vlasic told Pope, “I want to be [in Chicago] as long as possible.” The 22-year-old defenseman is set to become a restricted free agent for the first time in his career this season, having played through his 2021 entry-level contract.
Vlasic was maybe the surprise of the season in Chicago, fighting his way up to top-pairing ice time early in the year and not relinquishing it. He would go on to record 16 points and 45 penalty minutes in 76 games, while averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time. He became the de facto partner for top defenseman Seth Jones – with the pairing recording over 850 even-strength minutes together, Chicago’s only pair to play even 400 minutes together.
Vlasic carved out a confident role and should be due a confident deal when he re-signs this summer. Pope compared Vlasic’s negotiations to K’Andre Miller and Mattias Samuelsson when trying to project what a new deal may look like. Both players pulled in a cap hit of around $4MM, though Miller signed a short-term bridge while Samuelsson received seven years. It’s likely Chicago leans on the side of longer term, with brighter days yet to come.
Other notes out of the Windy City:
- Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy shared that the injury that held him out of the season finale wasn’t exactly a reinjury of his groin injury, but more of a “tweak”, per Pope (Twitter link). Murphy added that the injury will affect his off-season training plans, though he’s happy to have time off to get back to full health. Murphy played in just 46 games this season, recording eight points, 40 penalty minutes, and a -19. He served in a solid role, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time, though that may have been out of necessity more than desire for a Hawks blue-line that iced 12 different defensemen this season. Murphy will hope to regain health and hang onto his strong role in Chicago as he approaches his eighth season with the club next year.
- Hawks forward Colin Blackwell shared that he would love to stay in Chicago, per NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis (Twitter link). Blackwell is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer – one of 19 free agents in Chicago’s system. He’s spent the last two seasons in Chicago, totaling 22 points in 97 games with the club. While meager scoring, Blackwell has served in a reliable bottom-six role and maintained his discipline, totaling just 16 penalty minutes over the last two seasons. He’ll likely return to a consistent fourth-line role if he signs a new deal with Chicago.