Blackhawks' Alex Vlasic: Sets up empty-netter

Vlasic logged a shorthanded assist, two hits and three blocked shots in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Bruins.

Vlasic ended a seven-game point drought with the helper. The 23-year-old defenseman has given way to other prospects like Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov and Kevin Korchinski for power-play time lately, which largely explains Vlasic's reduced output on offense despite his top-four role. He's at 29 points (12 on the power play, one shorthanded), 100 shots on net, 146 blocked shots, 58 hits and a minus-20 rating over 79 appearances. If Vlasic is not part of the Blackhawks' long-term plans on the power play, his fantasy outlook is that of a top-four blueliner who can chip in with blocks and depth scoring, which doesn't bring universal appeal.