5 Defensemen Blackhawks Should Target In Free Agency

Alexander Edler
Alexander Edler of the Vancouver Canucks is an interesting potential signing for the Blackhawks. Edler is a left-handed defenseman who stands at 6’3″ 212 lbs and plays a fairly well-rounded game. He has been the Canucks best defenseman for quite some time now. He is coming off a solid season of 34 points (10G, 24A) in 56 games with a 3 ± rating.
Although Edler is 33 years old, he actually set a career high in ATOI with 24:34. This is a great sign and shows he still has some tread left on his tires. Another thing Blackhawks fans are going to really appreciate is that Edler blocks a lot of shots — 1471 blocked shots in 814 games. He can also fill in on the power play which is another plus.
Edler has etched his name into the Canucks’ record books:
- 8th most assists (274)
- 7th most games played (814)
- Most points as a defenseman (368)
One concern that I have with Edler is his durability. He has missed quite a bit of hockey over the years. This season, he did have a pretty nasty injury where he hit his head off of the ice really hard.
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As long as Alexander Edler is healthy and can pass a physical, then I don’t really have a problem bringing him in. He is currently on the final year of a 6-year, $30 mil ($5 mil AAV) contract, but his age will be a factor on his next one. I can see Edler landing a short term deal somewhere in the range of $4-6 mil AAV.