GDT: Blues vs. Coyotes| 7pm -- FSMW| Can we make it 3?|

[Blueston]

He finished second right behind RoR. It’s true that wingers don’t win it nearly as much as centers, but Datsyuk’s and Bergeron’s strangle hold on the award I think has more to do with wingers not winning it recently. Wingers have still won the award about 20% of the time. But I don’t think we’re going to see Schwartz nominated for it any time soon. I’m not sure he’s the best defensive forward on that line even.

Seems like folks have decided over last decade or so that centers are much more valuable than wingers. It seems like in 80s and 90s you had snipers and power forwards who were thought to be elite but now its mostly all about the centers.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

You know I'm not saying don't make forecasts. I'm just saying not to get too caught up in the present; look longer-term. Hell, it was just a few days ago that people were practically volunteering to drive Dunn to whatever team he was getting traded to. Now, he's on the list of players we're trying to figure out how to keep if they're not on the protected list. Whatever his status is with the front office, it didn't do a 180 after the 2-game series with Arizona.

It's OK to say "if the expansion draft were today, here's what I think." I just wouldn't be making decisions today based on something that's still months out in the future. IMO you go through that feeling-out process like I described, see what you can learn, see what other teams are thinking, try to position yourself as best you can. Hell, you might find out someone's going to expose a player you'd like to have, and you try to strike a deal where Seattle picks that guy and then flips him to you. Lots of considerations, and some of them might change depending on what you learn

I don’t disagree with that line of thought, but similar to you my opinions about who will be protected have been unchanged since prior to the start of the season. The new information is: Kyrou is a valuable NHL player, Faulk is playing well, Mikkola looks ready and Dunn is struggling a little bit. I already expected Kyrou and Faulk to be protected. Probably neither of Dunn or Mikkola can be protected. Very excited for Mikkola’s future, but he’s not a rare combination and would be the easiest to replace role-wise (but maybe not with such a cost-controlled situation).

I’m not even sure you were really responding to me directly, though you quoted me. But I’m not one of the guys who is flipping opinions every shift. And you should already know that.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I don’t disagree with that line of thought, but similar to you my opinions about who will be protected have been unchanged since prior to the start of the season. The new information is: Kyrou is a valuable NHL player, Faulk is playing well, Mikkola looks ready and Dunn is struggling a little bit. I already expected Kyrou and Faulk to be protected. Probably neither of Dunn or Mikkola can be protected. Very excited for Mikkola’s future, but he’s not a rare combination and would be the easiest to replace role-wise (but maybe not with such a cost-controlled situation).

I’m not even sure you were really responding to me directly, though you quoted me. But I’m not one of the guys who is flipping opinions every shift. And you should already know that.

I do know that. My original comment here was in response to your post simply because it was the last one in line, and I didn't want to take the time to quote all the posts on the subject.

 

[ezcreepin]

I don’t disagree with that line of thought, but similar to you my opinions about who will be protected have been unchanged since prior to the start of the season. The new information is: Kyrou is a valuable NHL player, Faulk is playing well, Mikkola looks ready and Dunn is struggling a little bit. I already expected Kyrou and Faulk to be protected. Probably neither of Dunn or Mikkola can be protected. Very excited for Mikkola’s future, but he’s not a rare combination and would be the easiest to replace role-wise (but maybe not with such a cost-controlled situation).

I’m not even sure you were really responding to me directly, though you quoted me. But I’m not one of the guys who is flipping opinions every shift. And you should already know that.

I just really wonder if Seattle would actually take a guy like Dunn over Mikkola since Dunn is the better puck moving d-man. I think you can teach him a system and he'll perform well, but Mikkola seems to be making good defensive plays without really any effort. Dunn however makes simple defensive plays look like only elite d-men could make them.

If I were Seattle, I think I'd be more inclined to take Mikkola over Dunn. The emergence of speed and high point totals leads me to believe that guys like Dunn will be easier to replace vs reliable and effective guys like Mikkola in the future. Not that Mikkola can't be replaced now, but I honestly feel like the tides are changing and those guys will be a commodity, not the norm.

 

[ezcreepin]

You know I'm not saying don't make forecasts. I'm just saying not to get too caught up in the present; look longer-term. Hell, it was just a few days ago that people were practically volunteering to drive Dunn to whatever team he was getting traded to. Now, he's on the list of players we're trying to figure out how to keep if they're not on the protected list. Whatever his status is with the front office, it didn't do a 180 after the 2-game series with Arizona.

It's OK to say "if the expansion draft were today, here's what I think." I just wouldn't be making decisions today based on something that's still months out in the future. IMO you go through that feeling-out process like I described, see what you can learn, see what other teams are thinking, try to position yourself as best you can. Hell, you might find out someone's going to expose a player you'd like to have, and you try to strike a deal where Seattle picks that guy and then flips him to you. Lots of considerations, and some of them might change depending on what you learn

It definitely behooves us that Dunn performs better, but I'm still in the camp of trading him to get more assets. It's either that, or keep him for another cup run and then expose him to Seattle. At least that way Seattle has evaluate the exposed players honestly and hopefully they'll take a better performing Dunn, someone we could internally replace quite easily.