SAN JOSE — Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic has spent his entire NHL career with the Sharks and reiterated Tuesday that he wants to remain with the team long term.

Asked about his comments the day before to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman about remaining with the Sharks past his current contract, which expires July 1, 2018, Vlasic said he wants to stay in San Jose.

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After plea from HDA and Evander Kane, NHL postpones Thursday and Friday games “I like the team, I like the area. We’re competitive every year, and at the end of my contract next year, I’ll have been here 12 years,” Vlasic said. “I guess I do like it here if I’ve been here 12 years.”

So Vlasic, who played his 800th game with the Sharks on Sunday against Dallas, could see himself staying with the team past 2018?

“Yeah, if it works out, that’d be great,” Vlasic said. “It’s a priority.”

Vlasic, 29, said he’s not thinking about his contract status right now since official talks can’t happen until July 1 of this summer.

The Sharks made a massive commitment to Brent Burns earlier this season, signing him to a eight-year, $64 million contract extension that runs until the 2024-25 season.

Vlasic, thought of as one of the top shutdown defensemen in the NHL, is bound to get a sizeable raise from his current annual salary, which is $4.25 million per season. He signed a five-year, $21.25 million contract with the Sharks prior to the 2013-14 season.

Vlasic has averaged over 22 minutes a game through his 10-plus seasons in the NHL. This season, he has 21 points in 63 games and is averaging 21:28 of ice time per game.

“Hopefully,” Vlasic said when asked if he could see something similar for himself. “Every individual player’s contract is different from one guy to another. I’d like to sign here long term.”