On Thursday, Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson added another chapter to his apparent mastery of rebuilding a broken team from the bottom up by signing coveted defenseman and hometown kid Alex Vlasic to a six-year contract deal.
The contract extends through the 2029-30 season and includes a $4.6 million salary cap charge, for a total of $27.6 million. Years five and six of the agreement include a 10-team no-trade list.
The pending restricted free agent had only played 21 NHL games before to this season, but he established himself as the team’s most dependable defense in a season with few bright lights. While it is still early in his career, the 22-year-old from Wilmette, Illinois, finished the season with top-10 defensive numbers in practically every category. Such performance would have put him in the hunt for the Calder Trophy alongside teammate Connor Bedard if he had played just 10 fewer games during the 2021-22 season, outperforming Minnesota Wild golden kid Brock Faber in a number of analytical criteria.
“Alex made enormous strides this year and proved he is a legitimate top-four defenseman in the NHL,” Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson stated 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.”
Prior to this season, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound blueliner played 56 regular season and six playoff games with the Rockford IceHogs in 2022-23. During his stint in Rockford, he has 19 regular-season points (2 goals, 17 assists) and 5 playoff assists. The Blackhawks drafted Vlasic in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and he won the bronze medal at the 2019 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship.
Vlasic will represent the United States at the 2018 World Championships, alongside fellow Blackhawks rearguard Seth Jones.
Analysis
In recent weeks, reporters and fans alike speculated on what Vlasic’s contract may look like, but few, if any, expected the contract to be this long and expensive. Many believed that this AAV would have been realistic for a shorter-term bridging contract, with a longer-term pact having a higher value. Davidson did a wonderful job in signing Vlasic for six years at a cap charge of $4.6 million, which is extremely team-friendly.
As Luszczyszyn stated in his tweet mentioned above, that dollar value is accurate for Vlasic at the moment, but it will provide the team with an average value savings of $3 million per season throughout the course of the contract. To lock in Vlasic for six years at that price will allow the Blackhawks to make the most of their money once the team returns to the playoffs, much like Duncan Keith’s inexpensive contract helped build Cup-winning teams. While this contract appears to be a good deal now, it could play an important role in the Blackhawks’ return to greatness in the near future.
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