Vince Dunn, St. Louis Blues
Projected Contract: Two years, $2.7M AAV
Drafted 56th overall in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Vince Dunn has quietly become a potent defenseman. Two years ago, Dunn tallied 35 points in 78 games while accounting for a 55.3 Corsi-for percentage and 7.2 point-share.
This past season, the 23-year-old scored 9 goals with 14 assists for 23 points in 71 games. He saw less time-on-ice time than the 2018-2019 season, but Dunn was excellent on the Blues’ powerplay, tallying 4 goals and 6 assists on the man advantage.
While he primarily played on the third pairing this past year, the numbers support Dunn playing on the first pairing in a Kings’ uniform. He saw just over a handful of games on the top pairing with Alex Pietrangelo, so the concept is not entirely foreign to him.
The Blues have just $5.1M available in cap space this offseason, and they haven’t given up re-signing Pietrangelo to a massive contract. Dunn could be on the way out, and it would cost the Kings a second-round pick in the 2021 draft. Oh, and the Blues are currently without a second-round pick next year.