The Blackhawks claimed they would replace injured defenseman Seth Jones by committee, but aside from bumping every healthy defenseman one rung up the depth chart out of necessity, they actually haven’t.
Instead, young Alex Vlasic has taken over Jones’ role, operating as the Hawks’ No. 1 defensemen during five-on-five play and quarterbacking the first power-play unit (although the Hawks have drawn very few opportunities).
In the four games missed so far by Jones, the NHL’s time-on-ice leader before he suffered a right foot injury that will sideline him for another three-plus weeks, Vlasic has exceeded 23:30 of ice time every game and logged exactly 26:34 twice.
“It’s definitely a big load to handle, but I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job,” Vlasic said Tuesday. “You’ve got to pick your spots jumping up in the play and make sure you’re not taking too long of shifts, especially against better teams, so you don’t get hemmed in.”
This situation isn’t ideal for the Hawks right now, but it is excellent experience for Vlasic, whom the franchise will depend on to anchor their defense for years to come — regardless of whether he, Artyom Levshunov or someone else develops into their true No. 1 defenseman post-Jones.
The 23-year-old Wilmette native is enjoying another stellar season despite the Hawks’ team struggles, even if he’s not quite as close to Superman as he imagined back in training camp.
“In the ‘D’-zone in the beginning of the year…he had a couple hiccups,” assistant coach Kevin Dean said earlier this month. “He was [thinking], ‘I’m going to defend this guy and I’m going to take this pass away,’ and he wasn’t doing either.
“He’s getting his brain around [the idea that], ‘I just do my job and do it well.’ And he’s terrific: He’s big; he’s smart; he’s athletic. He can skate, he can move pucks and his shot has really developed.”
Vlasic unleashed a 101.9 mph shot — the fourth-hardest in the NHL this season — against the Ducks last week, rewarding him for his efforts this past summer to strengthen and improve his shooting. His hardest shot last season was 90.5 mph.
“I noticed it before training camp, just stepping on the ice watching him: ‘Whoa, his shot [is good],'” Dean said. “Last year, he would take five shots, and two of them would be like, ‘Wow, that was really hard.’ … But now he certainly seems more consistent.”
The most important aspects where Vlasic can fill Jones’ shoes, however, are retrieving dump-ins and then exiting the defensive zone with possession. That can help the Hawks avoid getting stuck in the zone — a frequent problem for them.
Vlasic has averaged 26.7 retrievals per 60 minutes this season, per All Three Zones. That’s one of the highest rates in the league. Jones (22.9) and Wyatt Kaiser (21.9) are the only other Hawks defensemen significantly above the league average of 19.9.
Moreover, Vlasic and Jones have averaged 10.2 and 10.3 defensive-zone exits with possession per 60 minutes, respectively. They’re the only two Hawks defensemen significantly above the league average of 7.0 in that category.
Dean has talked with Vlasic about the value of body position to help with both of those things. If an opposing forward skates behind the net to chase the puck, Vlasic can form a wall between the forward and the puck using his 6-6 frame alone.
“He’s getting more comfortable using his body on the retrievals,” Dean said. “He’s a guy who can see the ice and can escape that forechecker to get time to make a play. He’s only going to get better with that, too. He’s not overthinking it. [When he identifies] the first option, it’s on and off his stick pretty well.”
Defensive work
In the defensive zone, Vlasic does have a tendency to believe he can do two things at once sometimes. The Hawks appreciate that confidence but are trying to convince him that’s not realistic; he’ll be best served focusing on defending one person at a time.
Boxing out around the net has been one focus area. Earlier in the season, he would devote himself so wholeheartedly to boxing out that he would turn his back to the puck at the point and have no idea where the play was headed.
“[I’m] learning how to box out while still having your head facing wherever the puck is,” Vlasic said. “You might have to let that guy go if the puck comes to you or if the [point] guy starts skating down at you, if your forward gets beat. Because we don’t play man-on-man in the D-zone, [you have to] make sure you’re not solely focusing on one guy.”
There are situations, however, where he shouldn’t leave the net-front guy to cover a defenseman skating down. The Flyers’ first goal Saturday against the Hawks was one such scenario: Vlasic stopped boxing out Sean Couturier to react to wide-open Rasmus Ristolainen receiving the puck on the weak side, and then Ristolainen fed Couturier for a simple tap-in.
Richardson breaking down this Flyers goal vs Blackhawks:
“It’s kind of like a penalty kill situation when teams seam through you. [Vlasic] can’t go running over there because the goalie can make the one good push but they can’t…make a push back.” (1/2)
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 26, 2024
“It’s very situational where you have to realize if the guy has a good angle or if he has a lot of time,” Vlasic said. “It’s a gray area for sure, but that specific time, I might just have to recognize that we’ll give up that shot from way outside the dot and make sure nothing goes across the crease.”
Dean has also emphasized to Vlasic the importance of going through opposing forwards’ hands when trying to dispossess them. Vlasic’s ultra-long stick and reach makes him elite at poke-checks, but the Hawks don’t want him to rely solely on that approach.
“Sometimes I get away with that, but when you go against guys that are good at puck-protecting and have big, strong frames, if you just go for the puck, they’ll be able to shield it away from you,” Vlasic said. “[You have to] make sure you’re always trying to go through the hands first and follow through with the stick.”