General manager Kyle Davidson identified Alex Vlasic early as a core member of the rebuild. He has been a stabilizing presence on the Chicago Blackhawks’ blue line while developing as an NHL defenseman. At age 25, he is the second-most experienced blueliner behind his partner, Ian Cole.

Vlasic still has room for improvement and growth, and he’s shown it over the past few games. Earlier this year, Hall of Famer Chris Pronger told the CHGO Blackhawks Podcast that it takes a young defenseman around 300 games to get truly comfortable in the NHL.

Tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins will be Vlasic’s 267^th NHL game, so he is still in that learning curve window. While guys like Cale Makar and Matthew Schaefer came into the league and were great from day one, they’re not the norm. Duncan Keith needed two full seasons in the American Hockey League, and a couple of rounds in the NHL before he became the elite defenseman he was.

Vlasic was candid on Monday about how a player’s self-confidence can fluctuate, even after multiple seasons in the league.

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