Jokiharju? Defensive RD? Dunno about that one Figgy. I don't think he's much better than Miromanov and I certainly wouldn't add much to get him. Just never been much of a fan I guess, and RD is really the last thing we should be looking at.
Now if they want to throw him into a Andersson or Kadri for Cozens deal I'd be alright with that.
He's at least one of the most defensive minded dman on a young d corps that gets cratered often. I wouldn't offer the value of a late first for him, but if it's a second or less, I'd really want to try and nab him. A throw in for a bigger trade? Absolutely I'd be interested.
IIRC he plays top pairing often opposite of either Dahlin or Power, so it's not like he gets great support in case something happens. If anything it's the opposite. IIRC he's often on the top pairing? IMO that's too high.
Then his skills are decent, but none elite. So if he's paired with a free wheeling type guy like Dahlin, he might have to dig deeper to make up for those risky plays. TBH, I get Olli Maatta type vibes from him. Once he's asked to play a role that is less beyond his capabilities (ie: #4/5) I think he'd flourish and perhaps even slowly develop towards a 3/4. I also think that the style of game in Chicago and Buffalo and the style they play haven't been great fits for him. A guy like Huska could probably really help him consolidate his game into something more effective, especially with the d corps we have and the d corps we expect to graduate in the coming few years.
I honestly think he's a better fit for us to round out the top 4 than Miromanov. But that's more due to style of play and system. Miromanov just jumps up a little too much. IIRC, Bahl and Pachal are our guys who don't prefer to jump up as much. Swapping him with another guy more content to sit closer to the blue line on the regular, I think our d corps would be a little better balanced.
