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Re-signing with Sharks ‘a priority’ for Vlasic

San Jose Sharks v Arizona Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 19: Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks during the first period of the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on November 19, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Earlier this season the San Jose Sharks managed to keep one of their top defenseman -- and one of the top ones in the league -- when they re-signed Brent Burns to a massive eight-year contract extension that will run through the 2024-25 season.

Over the course of the next year they are going to have to worry doing it again with their other top defenseman, Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Vlasic still has one-year remaining on his deal after this one, meaning he will be eligible to sign a new contract extension with the team after July 1.

Hearing him talk, it seems that he is eager to not only get a deal done with the Sharks, but to also sign one that will allow him to finish his career with the only team he has ever known.

“I love it here,” said Vlasic, via Elliotte Friedman’s 30 thoughts column on Tuesday. “I’m not really a guy who wants to play for three or four teams. I like the city, I like the organization, we’re always competitive. What’s not to like? I want to play my whole career in San Jose.”

He reiterated his desire to remain with the Sharks on Tuesday.

It’s easy for Vlasic to get lost playing in Burns’ shadow because he doesn’t put up massive point totals, but he is a superb shutdown defenseman and one of the very best defensive players in hockey. Alongside Justin Braun he makes up one half of the Sharks’ shutdown pairing and has been a rock on the team’s blue line since he was a 19-year-old rookie. What makes him so valuable is that he is a reliable defensive player that also has the ability to move the puck and chip in some offense. He’s not a “defensive defenseman” whose only skill is the ability to throw his body in front of shots. He can make plays with the puck, too, and that combination makes him one of the most well-rounded -- and at times underappreciated -- defensemen in the league.

At 29 he is still at a point in his career where he should have several quality years in front of him so a long-term deal shouldn’t come with too much of a risk.

Given the impending free agency of veteran forwards Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, as well as the opportunity to work out a new deal with Vlasic, the Sharks are looking at a pretty big offseason when it comes to their core.

Once Burns’ new deal kicks in next year the Sharks will already have close to $55 million committed to 15 players for the 2017-18 season.