The Chicago Blackhawks traded captain Nick Foligno to the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline for future considerations, allowing him to play with his brother, Marcus, on the same team, and win his first Stanley Cup before he ends his long and storied career. Foligno, 38, has 19 seasons under his belt in the NHL and was the captain of the team during their toughest time since the mid-2000s before they got Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and ultimately started their dynasty.
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Foligno served as a veteran presence and was a mentor to many of the young kids on this team, such as Connor Bedard. When Foligno spoke on TSN after the trade occurred, he said it was like he was saying goodbye to his own kids. With Foligno and another alternate captain and veteran Connor Murphy dealt, the Blackhawks now have the youngest team with an average age of 25.5. That also leaves defenseman Alex Vlasic, 24 years old, as the longest-tenured Blackhawk right now at 241 games played.
The Longest-Tenured Hawk
Vlasic was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by former general manager (GM) Stan Bowman’s camp. The Wilmette, Illinois native played his first games as a Blackhawk three years later in 2022 and is one of the very few players to have played with Kane and Toews, who are still on the active roster today.
Vlasic got his first full-time stint in Chicago the year Bedard was drafted in 2023 and tallied 16 points in 74 games, impressing many people. In April of that year, he signed a six-year contract extension that carries a $4.6 million average annual value (AAV).
Last season was his first full 82-game campaign, where he had 30 points. The Blackhawks are going through a transition offensively, so his point totals are down to 16 points through 63 games played. His defense, though, with his 6-foot-6 frame and long stick, mixed with his penalty killing abilities, awareness to break the puck out, and overall play, made him one of the best defensemen, if not the best one on the team. His offensive focus was never the main course; it’s his reliability on the backend.
Vlasic’s New Role Within the Team
Being the longest tenured player in the organization carries a lot of responsibility. At his young age, he is going to be the player the defense core turns to for leadership. Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times asked Vlasic what he learned from Murphy after he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers, and he said that he wasn’t going to be hooting and hollering; however, he needed to find his spots on when to be vocal and when to simmer down.
“I definitely don’t want to come across as…like Murph leaves and all of a sudden I’m a ‘rah-rah’ guy in the locker room. But I’m going to pick my spots and try to figure out how to help lead this team with what I do know.”
This is a new era for the Blackhawks. They traded away Murphy, Jason Dickinson, and Foligno, two alternate captains and the captain of the team, in one trade deadline, which is unheard of. It’s now the kids’ turn to step up, take what they learned from the veterans, and become the new leaders of the franchise.
Next season, it’s almost guaranteed that Bedard will be the 37th captain in franchise history after being an alternate captain for the rest of the current campaign. Along with that, Vlasic will likely be given an “A” on his sweater to serve as a defensive alternate captain, as he’ll be 25 by then in his sixth season. You could even make the argument that he should be the next captain based on how he carries himself and what he’s already accomplished in the NHL. He’s going to be an important leader for the remaining 18 games this season.
Vlasic will be one of the leaders when the team is competing again and will continue to be a valuable piece in Chicago. He’s already locked up long-term and possesses great leadership qualities, so once he’s given a letter, all he needs to do is continue what he’s doing now and get going with a hopefully red-hot team.
