(SPECULATION) Nux interested in UFA D Matt Dumba

[N4ZZY]

5 hours ago, JeremyCuddles said:

Cole is not overpriced, he played at a top 4 level on a very good team. That says all it needs to. Soucy may be overpriced, but all he really needs to do is click with Hronek or Hughes. Just don't be Myers and Soucy/Hughes or Soucy/Hronek is a very solid top 4 pair. Also not sure how Irwin is overpriced, but I am assuming you're not talking about him. Irwin and Cole are 1 year deals. They aren't standing in anyone's way really.

 

Most of our kids are 1 year away anyway. Hirose is probably the only one I really give a good chance at cracking this roster. But given he signed a 2 year deal, it looks like even he may not believe he's NHL ready this coming season. McWard I think needs one more year. Woo is a wild card. He had a really solid year last year. I think he can crack the roster. But otherwise like I said, not many kids are ready next season. So Cole and Irwin signings are far from bad for this franchise. Soucy isn't paid too much to put on the 3rd pair, but I don't see any of our LD kids taking a top 4 spot in the next 3 seasons anyway. So again, maybe overpaid, but not by much and not for very long. And it's not hard to slap a 3mil guy on the 3rd pair with heavy PK minutes.

 

I am very hard on management, but those signings are not bad in the slightest. Soucy's contract is fine, Cole's is great, and Irwin's is great. It's league min. We can slap him in Abby or in the press box. It's whatever.

McWard is an interesting one. RHD, he’s still very young, probably still very raw, but has potential to be there as a player for the Canucks. 

 

Hirose and Woo I think can probably challenge (or will be close) for a roster spot on the backend. Woo for sure with the season he had last year, most likely a bottom pairing defenseman. But that’s good given that we have someone coming up from Abby taking a spot. Competition’s not going to be easy for these young lads. Hirose I think with his smarts, could be a Tanev-super light, given his smarts, and lack of physicality. I think he could probably challenge for a spot and crack the roster. Our defense is better, it is not a cup champion defense. So it’s possible that he could very well crack this current rendition of the Canuck’s backend. 

 

Hughes, Soucy, Hronek, and Cole. That’s the top four. Who’s playing with who? Who knows at this point. Depends on whether Soucy can play his off-side (isn’t he a natural lefty, but can play the right side?). Cole probably players with Hronek, and allows him to roam offensively. Either that, or it’s the other way around, but management doesn’t seem like they’re going to be bringing anyone else in that’ll disrupt that potential top four. They’re pretty much pigeon holed in - it’s just a matter of where in the top four. 

 

The bottom pairing? Well, that’s anyone’s guess isn’t it? McWard probably not going to make it, he’ll spend at least a year in Abby with the coaching staff to work with him and his game so that it is NHL ready. Hirose? Might need a full season, but I’d guess he’ll be one of the first call ups when the defense is depleted with injuries (which we all know as Canucks fans, happens every single year. I mean at this point, it’s just Canuck tradition). 

 

 

[JeremyCuddles]

4 hours ago, N4ZZY said:

McWard is an interesting one. RHD, he’s still very young, probably still very raw, but has potential to be there as a player for the Canucks. 

 

Hirose and Woo I think can probably challenge (or will be close) for a roster spot on the backend. Woo for sure with the season he had last year, most likely a bottom pairing defenseman. But that’s good given that we have someone coming up from Abby taking a spot. Competition’s not going to be easy for these young lads. Hirose I think with his smarts, could be a Tanev-super light, given his smarts, and lack of physicality. I think he could probably challenge for a spot and crack the roster. Our defense is better, it is not a cup champion defense. So it’s possible that he could very well crack this current rendition of the Canuck’s backend. 

 

Hughes, Soucy, Hronek, and Cole. That’s the top four. Who’s playing with who? Who knows at this point. Depends on whether Soucy can play his off-side (isn’t he a natural lefty, but can play the right side?). Cole probably players with Hronek, and allows him to roam offensively. Either that, or it’s the other way around, but management doesn’t seem like they’re going to be bringing anyone else in that’ll disrupt that potential top four. They’re pretty much pigeon holed in - it’s just a matter of where in the top four. 

 

The bottom pairing? Well, that’s anyone’s guess isn’t it? McWard probably not going to make it, he’ll spend at least a year in Abby with the coaching staff to work with him and his game so that it is NHL ready. Hirose? Might need a full season, but I’d guess he’ll be one of the first call ups when the defense is depleted with injuries (which we all know as Canucks fans, happens every single year. I mean at this point, it’s just Canuck tradition). 

 

 

The last point is pretty key. Even if guys like Hirose and McWard don't start in the NHL, that doesn't mean they won't see any action. I don't have any first hand stats, but I feel like we go through more d-men on average. But I really don't think these kids are quite ready outside of maybe Woo who has played 3 AHL seasons and coming off his first full AHL season where he played very well. Let McWard and Hirose develop at least one season. By this time next year Cole and Myers will be gone and they'll be 1 year better. Instead of getting baptized in fire.

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

3 hours ago, IBatch said:

Well the model was broken at the start when they said Steen was the best all around hockey player in the world.     Not Crosby, Bergeron or even Kesler.

  It's probably better now, but it also kind of makes it silly.   At least they do quality of competition and linemates that for some makes all the difference in the world.   

 

Edit: I do like you showing them so thanks!   Also think they need to do a blend...as in a three year average.   Circumstances change.   TOI....that's a huge metric as far as how the coach trusts you.   It often also shows how bad a team is to have to trust that guy like that.    Tyler Myers case in point.   OEL too.  Let's see how well Soucy and Cole do with the same assignments shall we? 

 

You must be referring to this graphic - I think this was his last big year before a very slow decline.  Even near the end he was one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL.  Steen was a truly underrated player throughout his whole career, marred by very inconsistent finishing.  Think about it - this guy went on absolute scoring tears and then just nothing the next 10 games.  A lot like Thomas Vanek, but the difference was that Steen played a very hard-nosed defensive game.  

 

 

As for why Kane's model seems to betray his playmaking ability, it's seemingly because of his passing style.  He's a flashy passer and has the vision to back it up, and so when he makes that cross-crease play, his linemate shoots into an empty net, even if it only works 25% of the time.  Just look at this heat map - he never passes into the slot (technically making him ineffective on paper) and tries to thread the needle instead.  It's crazy stuff.  He's probably the reason why all young American hockey players aged 15-25 fell in love with the game.

 

One thing is clear, though - he hasn't been able to backcheck for many years now.  Analytically the worst defensive forward in the NHL.

 

2 hours ago, RWJC said:

I’m all for picking up Dumba on a 1-2 year show me deal. Don’t think he’d go for that, but considering how many D games we lose to injury each season, I think a Dman with his experience could benefit from a change of scenery and can be positioned on any 3 lines depending on necessity at the time. 
He could reclaim some value and become a decent trade candidate at deadline (likely return a 3rd round pick) or if he just falters all season he could be waived. The cost of acquisition is simply a disposable contract, should we clear some W cap space.

Folks write him off because he’s stagnated and doesn’t deliver on his current contract value, but giving him an opportunity to get his game back is a no lose proposition. I’d argue he’s not in the way of any prospects at this time, barring maybe Juulsen but he’s no longer a prospect in my eyes, because none have enough games under their belt yet to have proven anything consistently. They will inevitably get their time when injuries arise, but the best way to do that is to slot them in with an experienced NHLer.
Hirose looks like he could become the real deal but I fear his sample size is just too small yet to be able to determine his status, and he’s likely out best option in emerging Dmen. If we want to stabilize the D, while also enabling any prospects when injury occurs, Dumba remains an intriguing insurance depth opportunity if he can be had at low cost. 
 

If anything, I think as fans what we should remember is we are still actively restocking the cupboard, and picking up a serviceable Dman with some pedigree and contribution from his game does present an opportunity to monetize.

Again, if he improves his defensive stat lines and can contribute offensively - which he could very well do on a PP1/PP2 beside QH or Horny -  he could become a shrewd pickup/ trade piece. Have to always consider how to accumulate picks. 

This is a very sensible assessment of Dumba.  Despite his size, he plays a very physical defensive game, hitting a lot and blocking a lot.  He didn't have any powerplay minutes this year but killed a ton of penalties (and he wasn't half bad it either).  BUT... that physicality is actually my biggest concern.  His body has already started to break down, which is why he didn't live up to his contract.  Even if we paid him peanuts, the concern is that he won't be able to stay healthy all season long.  It's risky to sign a player expecting him to get injured at some point - messes with team chemistry.

 

Now if we can expect him to play 72+ games with a similar performance as this year (while getting paid under $2M), he's not a terrible option to put beside Hughes.

[kloubek]

57 minutes ago, Bob.Loblaw said:

....messes with team chemistry.

 

Now if we can expect him to play 72+ games with a similar performance as this year (while getting paid under $2M), he's not a terrible option to put beside Hughes.

Nah. Guys get shuffled all the time. Tanev was injured constantly, but fit right back in when available.

 

If Dumba really is having difficulty getting work, he would be wise to sign a 1 year cheap contract to play beside Hughes. I think he'd compliment him well, and he can regain his value for next year, when teams will have extra cap to work with.

 

We don't exactly have cap to spare, but I believe we have no choice but to trade out cap anyway so on a value contract, I could see it.

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

If Dumba can be had on a value contract and short term deal, I’d actually be all for it. But I suspect somebody is going to offer him a lot longer term and more money than I’d be comfortable with. So hopefully that’s not us. And right now, it really couldn’t be us, anyway, because the Canucks just don’t have the cap space. But if Vancouver makes a trade to dump a big chunk of change and open up a lot of cap space, I hope it’s not simply to reallocate a very significant salary (and long term commitment) to Dumba.

 

He’s definitely not in the age group that I typically like to see pursued. At least not on long term deals (short term, like I said earlier, would be fine). Nor does he have the statistical profile and trend lines that I would typically look for. So I do have some serious “buyer beware” feelings about Dumba.

 

But…

 

If Dumba actually finds himself without a contract and without any serious suitors, as the summer wears on and the weeks fly by, and he gets into the position where he’s actually considering taking either a one year “show me” deal, or possibly a shorter term multi-year (2-3) deal at a discount, then I do start to get interested.

 

I think there’s some real potential for him to bounce back offensively, in the right situation (and I could see a pathway for this in Vancouver). There are definitely reasons, when you look at his usage and injury history, over the past few years, to suspect that he might have more offence left in the tank than he’s shown in recent seasons. On the defensive side, he’s actually been quite solid the past few years, and I expect that to remain stable, despite age-related decline, for the reasonable future. And he remains a big-time minute muncher who can easily give you 22-24 minutes a night, if needed (which the Canucks probably wouldn’t need). He’s still an excellent skater who moves around the ice really well and also plays quite a hard hitting, physical game. Dumba is also a high character player and very vocal leader who really brings a lot to a team (and city), on and off the ice. 
 

At the right price and term, I’m actually warming up to the idea that Dumba could prove to be a very nice addition for Vancouver. Not sure, however, if he’ll actually be available at the “right price and term.” Like I said at the top, I suspect some team will decide to offer him more than I’d be comfortable with.

[Guest]

Don't forget that Tanner Pearson's situation is up in the air. If he's good to go, then we have no space, but as we get closer to the start of the season, we may get clarity and realize that we have his 3.25 million available in LTIR. 

[aGENT]

3 hours ago, VancouverHabitant said:

Don't forget that Tanner Pearson's situation is up in the air. If he's good to go, then we have no space, but as we get closer to the start of the season, we may get clarity and realize that we have his 3.25 million available in LTIR. 

I'd rather spend those potential LTIR dollars on Suter personally. Dumba doesn't particularly fill a need, is injury prone and has been steadily declining for years.

 

On a one year deal at/near league min where it doesn't make any material cap difference... Sure. Assuming he out plays someone else, you just waive/assign the someone else, and *poof* no cap difference. But at anything resembling term or $1m+... No thanks.

[dontaylorforprez]

The fan base doesn’t want him so naturally the Canucks will probably take a flyer and “hope he rebounds”. 

[RWJC]

5 hours ago, aGENT said:

I'd rather spend those potential LTIR dollars on Suter personally. Dumba doesn't particularly fill a need, is injury prone and has been steadily declining for years.

 

On a one year deal at/near league min where it doesn't make any material cap difference... Sure. Assuming he out plays someone else, you just waive/assign the someone else, and *poof* no cap difference. But at anything resembling term or $1m+... No thanks.

I agree with that, 3rd line C is a must add. That said, ppl thinking our D corps is sufficient enough as is might be in for a rude awakening because it’s still mid level. Yeah it’s an upgrade from what we had previously for this club, but I’d argue it’s still mid to lower level of the pack in terms of the NHL playoff quality across the board. Just not good enough, and Demko and especially Silovs (!) deserve stronger insulation.

 

Also, can’t imagine Dumba taking a league min deal at all. I think he’ll come in around 2.5 - 3.25 somewhere, and at that price hopefully not with us. I’d do as much as 1.75 for him on a one year, maybe even stretch up to 2 for a two year with no trade protection, but that’s it. The question I think is who has had played as many NHL games in a variety of situations as he has and can still be potentially had for pennies on the dollar in contrast? That list isn’t strong. Not saying Dumba is a saving grace by any means, but for what his price point might be, the quality and dependability level of the names below him whom are still available as UFA is a major drop off. 

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nhl/free-agents/defenseman/ufa/available/

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by RWJC

[aGENT]

25 minutes ago, RWJC said:

I agree with that, 3rd line C is a must add. That said, ppl thinking our D corps is sufficient enough as is might be in for a rude awakening because it’s still mid level. Yeah it’s an upgrade from what we had previously for this club, but I’d argue it’s still mid to lower level of the pack in terms of the NHL playoff quality across the board. Just not good enough, and Demko and especially Silovs (!) deserve stronger insulation.

 

Also, can’t imagine Dumba taking a league min deal at all. I think he’ll come in around 2.5 - 3.25 somewhere, and at that price hopefully not with us. I’d do as much as 1.75 for him on a one year, maybe even stretch up to 2 for a two year with no trade protection, but that’s it. The question I think is who has had played as many NHL games in a variety of situations as he has and can still be potentially had for pennies on the dollar in contrast? That list isn’t strong. Not saying Dumba is a saving grace by any means, but for what his price point might be, the quality and dependability level of the names below him whom are still available as UFA is a major drop off. 

 

https://www.spotrac.com/nhl/free-agents/defenseman/ufa/available/

 

 

 

 

Who are the people that think it's "sufficient as is"? I haven't particularly seen this sentiment anywhere myself. Improved (mostly from a fit/complementary skill set perspective, not necessarily individual ability)? Yup. Heading in the right direction? Absolutely. "Sufficient" for a team looking to improve and be in the conversation for playoffs? Maybe.

 

But Cole is still a short term top 4 band aid, Soucy is a mid term 4B/5A, so not necessarily a permanent, long term, or necessarily top 4 solution either. Though I think he has the chops to be a complementary guy in the top 4 in the interim, and his cap/term aren't so onerous to slide to the 3rd pair if/when we're able to back fill higher quality ahead of him in the next couple years anyway (with a MUCH needed skill set). 

 

But we still need to re allocate some of Myers (and/or winger) money to fill  at least one more mid term role in the top 4 alongside Hughes and Hronek at some point here. Ideally Willander ends up as Hughes long term partner, but realistically that's likely 3-4+ years away from him playing at a legit first pair NHL level... So we'll needs at least one piece there in the interim until Willander is ready for that role, and one more top 4 piece from somewhere (trade, development or free agent) to really have a "contender" level D.

 

I'm just happy to FINALLY see it heading in the right direction, with management that seems to actually get how to build a quality, complementary D core. Expecting it to be DONE in one off season isn't realistic though, but at least we have the skilled, harder to find pieces seemingly in place in Hughes, Hronek (and hopefully, eventually Willander).  The rest of the blanks are easier to fill in and management seems to have an understanding of what those blanks should look like. 

[RWJC]

38 minutes ago, aGENT said:

Who are the people that think it's "sufficient as is"? I haven't particularly seen this sentiment anywhere myself. Improved (mostly from a fit/complementary skill set perspective, not necessarily individual ability)? Yup. Heading in the right direction? Absolutely. "Sufficient" for a team looking to improve and be in the conversation for playoffs? Maybe.

 

But Cole is still a short term top 4 band aid, Soucy is a mid term 4B/5A, so not necessarily a permanent, long term, or necessarily top 4 solution either. Though I think he has the chops to be a complementary guy in the top 4 in the interim, and his cap/term aren't so onerous to slide to the 3rd pair if/when we're able to back fill higher quality ahead of him in the next couple years anyway (with a MUCH needed skill set). 

 

But we still need to re allocate some of Myers (and/or winger) money to fill  at least one more mid term role in the top 4 alongside Hughes and Hronek at some point here. Ideally Willander ends up as Hughes long term partner, but realistically that's likely 3-4+ years away from him playing at a legit first pair NHL level... So we'll needs at least one piece there in the interim until Willander is ready for that role, and one more top 4 piece from somewhere (trade, development or free agent) to really have a "contender" level D.

 

I'm just happy to FINALLY see it heading in the right direction, with management that seems to actually get how to build a quality, complementary D core. Expecting it to be DONE in one off season isn't realistic though, but at least we have the skilled, harder to find pieces seemingly in place in Hughes, Hronek (and hopefully, eventually Willander).  The rest of the blanks are easier to fill in and management seems to have an understanding of what those blanks should look like. 

Well there are a few folks pencilling in Hirose in a bottom pairing role already. If that’s the case, then distilling that means some in the fanbase here believe the other 5 D round out a satisfactory lineup. Not pointing fingers in any way, I would LOVE to see Hirose crack the lineup permanently going forward, but for this club to really take another step upwards, Hirose would be considered a 7/8 as it’s way too early to rely on him in a starting role.

 

Sooo, if that’s the case, who or what else is available that can shore up the D that doesn’t come with an acquisition cost? Not much. Hence the Dumb(a) consideration.

 

Trade would obviously be a preferred route with our glut of F assets, but having the luxury of operating/trading from a better position (exactly why we bought out OEL) is prime time positioning. This is why I’d take a run at Dumba…his presence on the roster gives us alternatives. It’s why we traded for a guy like Dermott. Unfortunately injury never allowed that to pan out. Given Dumba’s history the same could happen to him as well. But at least with Dumba we wouldn’t be sacrificing a pick for a future LTIR candidate. That’s just my rationale for it. 
 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by RWJC

[Gurn]

22 hours ago, N4ZZY said:

Seems like the Canucks are interested in everyone lol 

 

 

 

Not really, but if you make your living by getting views/clicks; it is in your best financial interest to link the Canucks to every story you can.

Rabid fan base means easy money for writers, even if they are writing bs.

[aGENT]

2 hours ago, RWJC said:

Well there are a few folks pencilling in Hirose in a bottom pairing role already. If that’s the case, then distilling that means some in the fanbase here believe the other 5 D round out a satisfactory lineup. Not pointing fingers in any way, I would LOVE to see Hirose crack the lineup permanently going forward, but for this club to really take another step upwards, Hirose would be considered a 7/8 as it’s way too early to rely on him in a starting role.

 

Sooo, if that’s the case, who or what else is available that can shore up the D that doesn’t come with an acquisition cost? Not much. Hence the Dumb(a) consideration.

 

Trade would obviously be a preferred route with our glut of F assets, but having the luxury of operating/trading from a better position (exactly why we bought out OEL) is prime time positioning. This is why I’d take a run at Dumba…his presence on the roster gives us alternatives. It’s why we traded for a guy like Dermott. Unfortunately injury never allowed that to pan out. Given Dumba’s history the same could happen to him as well. But at least with Dumba we wouldn’t be sacrificing a pick for a future LTIR candidate. That’s just my rationale for it. 
 

 

I'd imagine the plan is to have him playing big minutes in Abby and available as one of the first call ups. But honestly, I wouldn't be overly surprised to see him "Tanev" his way on to the roster either. Plays a very similar, mature defensive game that would complement many of our more established guys.

 

But likely we see something like:

 

Hughes, Soucy/Cole

Cole/Soucy, Hronek

Irwin/Wolanin, Myers

 

Irwin/Wolanin, Juulsen

 

That 3LD spot is VERY much up for grabs though, from those guys, Hirose, Brisebois etc. And no, that's not a "contending" D as is. Better? Absolutely.

 

Dumba, at the right price /term (near league min/1 year) would certainly improve the overall  D, probably moving Cole/Soucy down a pair. But he's not really the long term solution I mentioned earlier either. Pesce on the other hand...

 

Really though, we might be better off finding the next "Toews" over either of those options.

Edited July 31, 2023 by aGENT

[RWJC]

1 hour ago, aGENT said:

I'd imagine the plan is to have him playing big minutes in Abby and available as one of the first call ups. But honestly, I wouldn't be overly surprised to see him "Tanev" his way on to the roster either. Plays a very similar, mature defensive game that would complement many of our more established guys.

 

But likely we see something like:

 

Hughes, Soucy/Cole

Cole/Soucy, Hronek

Irwin/Wolanin, Myers

 

Irwin/Wolanin, Juulsen

 

That 3LD spot is VERY much up for grabs though, from those guys, Hirose, Brisebois etc. And no, that's not a "contending" D as is. Better? Absolutely.

 

Dumba, at the right price /term (near league min/1 year) would certainly improve the overall  D, probably moving Cole/Soucy down a pair. But he's not really the long term solution I mentioned earlier either. Pesce on the other hand...

 

Really though, we might be better off finding the next "Toews" over either of those options.

Totally. I’m just thinking short term while we reconstruct because we can’t afford to lose many games early in the season again if we expect to push for playoffs without inducing burnout 

[aGENT]

38 minutes ago, RWJC said:

Totally. I’m just thinking short term while we reconstruct because we can’t afford to lose many games early in the season again if we expect to push for playoffs without inducing burnout 

Just for poops and chuckles... Say Hirose comes in looking like Tanev 2.0 and actually good enough to play top 4, we could even theoretically see something like:

 

Hughes, Cole

Hirose, Hronek

Soucy, Myers

 

But yes,  I'd imagine he starts the year in Abby 

[Strawbone]

1 minute ago, aGENT said:

Just for poops and chuckles... Say Hirose comes in looking like Tanev 2.0 and actually good enough to play top 4, we could even theoretically see something like:

 

Hughes, Cole

Hirose, Hronek

Soucy, Myers

 

But yes,  I'd imagine he starts the year in Abby 

I got really good vibes from watching the few games Hirose played down the stretch. He seems very calm and very smart, and did not look out of place at all. Now given these were mostly meaningless games but I think he recognized that himself from an interview he gave, and he said he's working really hard to improve for next season. If he had another 15-20 pounds of muscle on his frame, I'd pencil him for next season right now. I worry that physically he may just not be ready for the NHL, but I have high hopes he'll be a solid Tanev-like D-man in the league one day. God that would be so great!

[RWJC]

1 hour ago, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:

If that's the goal, you're probably better off promoting someone from within the system vs. bringing in a vet who will almost certainly require an adjustment period to learn the new systems and mesh with the team.  The kids in the AHL at least will have had some exposure to their teammates and would have exposure to what's expected of them from the system.  New players to a team almost always need time to acclimatize, even if they're brought in during the offseason.

 

As it stands, at least half the top-6 D are new.  Adding another new player into the mix will invariably extend the "feeling out" time that all new teammates need to go through when thrown onto a new team.

Fair points, but our revised type of D system being applied by Tocchet, Gonchar and Foote would seem to lend very well to a player like Dumba. In fact, it’s absolutely his wheelhouse IF he maintained a more defined defensive game. That’s entirely possible. 
 

Players move around and have to adjust to new systems. Dumba will perhaps be moving on from the only team he’s played for, but in that time he hasn’t escaped having to adjust to different coaching, systems and linemates. If you’re comparing Dumba that way, the same could be said for any of the free agents being brought in this year. We have a couple new short term contract Dmen now who were signed to those deals because they will inevitably bide time for some prospects to season. 
If we’re going that route then again, Dumba fits the timeline as we see whom out of the prospects can step up and stick. It doesn’t throw anyone into an immediate position of responsibility when they might not have yet matured to that point in either their physical game or mental maturity. There is no better way to potentially ruin a prospect than to adorn them with too much expectation/pressure too soon. 
 

We have some solid Dmen in the pipeline now…we can afford to really gauge their readiness with a revamped development system. No need to rush anyone. We have reestablished that luxury (to a degree). 
 

There will be turnover with this D corps over the next couple seasons so either way any of the prospects are going to have to adjust somehow once they come up. Myself, I’d rather see them learn the intermediate steps in the A and really build an internal foundation that prepares them for a long term career up top if and when they can make the jump.

 

Eg. Jett Woo - He’s a candidate for a look now because we have dedicated a few years of resources into him and prepared him for the next step. It’s up to him now to rely on that experience and see if he can make the adjustment into the level of being a potentially regular call up. That would be awesome to see. It would be an example that we can invest into and produce talent internally. 
 

Anyway. for cheap, despite all the hate, where we are positioned right now and with who is behind the bench, Dumba could be a cheap and promising stop gap investment. I don’t see a downside, just a waiver transaction if required. 
 

And if not Dumba, then I’m happy to wait until he’s ready and give Bear another chance with a 1 year deal. 
Hell, even a Caleb Jones. Same thing. 1 year deal.  Regardless, we still need some depth on the back end that has reasonable NHL level experience. We can integrate prospects in via piecemeal placement when the injuries occur. It’s the best way to affect longterm readiness as Dmen generally take longer to acclimate to the speed of the NHL game and especially some of the familiar F.

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by RWJC