The report earlier this week that the Blues are engaging in trade discussions around defenseman Vince Dunn came as a surprise to some but a slow start and eventual cap challenges once Vladimir Tarasenko is cleared to return is certainly among the reasons his name is out there. In a reader chat, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch posits another idea in that there is potentially a wide divide between what the team feels he’s worth versus what Dunn believes he’s worth. Timmermann draws some parallels to former Blue Joel Edmundson who went year-to-year on his deal as the two sides were just too far apart to find common ground on a long-term agreement. If that is indeed the case, moving Dunn now with three years of team control left after this one would make more sense than what happened with Edmundson who was moved to Carolina last year as salary ballast in the Justin Faulk trade.
More from the West Division:
- The injuries continue to pile up for the Avalanche as Peter Baugh of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is expected to miss an extended amount of time, joining winger Matt Calvert and goalie Pavel Francouz in that particular category. Bellemare sustained a lower-body injury in Thursday’s game against San Jose. Meanwhile, defenseman Devon Toews, who also briefly left yesterday’s contest, is also banged up with head coach Jared Bednar indicating that he’s unsure regarding the blueliner’s status.
- Sharks winger Rudolfs Balcers has been cleared to play and will head to the minors for a conditioning stint, reports CapFriendly (Twitter links). The 23-year-old was claimed off waivers back on January 12th and received a non-roster designation the next day that lasted through today. Balcers will be able to skate with AHL San Jose for up to two weeks before he must be recalled.
- Minnesota is hoping to have goalie Cam Talbot available for their next game against Colorado on Saturday, notes Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He has missed the last three games due to a lower-body injury with Kaapo Kahkonen making all three starts in his absence. The team has sent Andrew Hammond back to the taxi squad while Dereck Baribeau has gone from the taxi squad to the minors, reports CapFriendly (Twitter links), suggesting that Talbot is indeed ready to return.
I think Dunn has top-four potential but on the Blues he’s almost completely blocked from that opportunity for the next 4-5 years. He’s got more upside than Scandella, of course, but Berube isn’t going to put two offensive D-men (Krug/Dunn or Faulk/Dunn) in the same pair.
That looked like a dirty play that took out Bellemare. That player on the Sharks should be expecting a phone call and disciplined by the League.
Ha, for what try to make a cut on the ice to change directions? He totally lost his edge as he cut and was falling down when he hit Bellemare.
It wasn’t a dirty play. It was a very unfortunate accident. Thats the risk of playing sports. Best wishes to bellemare