Alex Vlasic must remind Chicago he is capable of being the No. 1 defenseman

It is surprising to think that the 24-year-old Alex Vlasic will be one of the defensive unit's older players.

Vlasic is also the second-most tenured player on the blue line. That speaks to how inexperienced the Blackhawks' defense will be this season. Connor Murphy is the only other Blackhawks defenseman to have played in more games than Vlasic. He is also the only Blackhawks defender born in the 1990s.

Youth is going to be served this season on the blue line. I cannot wait to see what the kids can do, considering the Blackhawks have a lot of impressive young talent.

Artyom Levshunov and Sam Rinzel are former first-round picks who have the potential to be Norris Trophy winners someday. Kevin Korchinski and Wyatt Kaiser have a lot of promise to help on the offensive end. Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan could be solid third-pair defensemen in the NHL.

That collection of young talent also seems to have made Vlasic a forgotten talented young defender.
Remember, he was the first defenseman this rebuild developed. The time he spent in college and in the AHL is the blueprint the club is using to develop the rest of these promising youngsters. That is why Vlasic must remind the hockey world that he is a rising No. 1 defenseman. It will show this organization is capable of churning out more elite defensemen.

Thrived under the last head coach

Vlasic's emergence was one of the few successes former head coach Luke Richardson had during his tenure. Vlasic had 14 assists during the 2023-24 season, his first full NHL season.

His 6'6 frame was also ideal for Richardson's 1-2-2 system that relied on defenders clogging up the middle of the ice. Having a longer defenseman like Vlasic provided a big obstacle for offenses to get the puck into the high-danger shooting zones.

Vlasic took the next step last season from being a good stay-at-home defender to being an all-around blue liner with 26 assists. He also showed he can play in a 2-1-2 system that interim head coach Anders Sorenson implemented after Richardson's firing. That is going to be important because new head coach Jeff Blashill runs a similar system.

Vlasic also became the team's No. 1 defenseman by default after Seth Jones was traded at the trade deadline. It felt like he got that designation by default because of the late-season youth movement and no other veteran option being good enough to be a top blueliner.

That means he has another bar to clear in his career.

Must prove he is a No. 1 defenseman because of production

There is a good chance he can do that in Blashill's system. The new Blackhawks head coach likes to get rushes started with turnovers, and he prefers those turnovers to be created by his defensemen. Vlasic's length allows him to get his stick in to poke pucks away, provide some physical checks, and win those board battles that Blashill thinks are vital to start offensive attacks.

The 2-1-2 system can also create odd-man rushes going the other way. Vlasic's wingspan will be useful to alter the opponent's attack. Plus, he is willing to block shots. His 157 blocks placed him among the top 25 in the NHL.

Levshunov and Rinzel still may pass Vlasic as being the team's No. 1 defender. Vlasic is a good defenseman with the skills to be a top defender, but he might not have the game to win a Norris Trophy. Levshunov and Rinzel have that potential.

That still does not mean we should abandon hope that Vlasic could be a great defenseman like those two exciting rookies might be.