Confirmed with Link: Nils Lundkvist to DAL for 2023 Protected 1st

[Troy McClure]

Can't say I feel the same way, he's young and has lots of potential. We would of gotten a similar player if we kept the pick and draft near the end of the first round.

Also, you can't really say he failed in NYR, he only played 20 something games. Not everyone steps into the NHL and makes it.

I still feel Nils can be a 5/6, but like everyone says, he just needs to play

The thing with him is this is his third consecutive season where a team handed him a chunk of NHL games hoping he would take the opportunity and run with it, and in all three seasons, his play has been poor enough that he's not held onto the opportunity. It's what makes me question how much potential there still is.

He still youngish, but it's worth noting all three of the defensemen drafted and developed by the Stars on the roster now were everyday NHLers by this age (as was a somewhat late bloomer in Klingberg). Sure, plenty of good NHL d-men didn't come of age until their mid 20s, but in this new era of cap crunch, roster limits, and earlier AHL waiver limits, there is less ice time available for a guy three seasons into his NHL career still trying to figure out how to be a quality NHL player.

 

[David Castillo]

It's definitely a move that looks bad in retrospect -- hockey is not a development league so you paid a first round pick for a guy who wasn't developed? -- but I think conceptually it was fine. I just think if you're a team that's been drafting in the first round as good as you've been, you don't give up that first rounder unless you know you're getting someone 'trustable.'

 

[Frozen Failure]

A similar player maybe but not an organizational need.

I would rather have Nils than a 2023 late first.

He didn't fail the Rangers. Their RHD depth is Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba and whomever (currently 1st round pick Braden Schneider) they want to play 15 reliable minutes a night. He was never going to get a chance to even play there.

Did Dallas need another gamble on a forward with the pick? Not really. So why not go throw the pick at a guy who fills an organizational need.

 

[Troy McClure]

It's definitely a move that looks bad in retrospect -- hockey is not a development league so you paid a first round pick for a guy who wasn't developed? -- but I think conceptually it was fine. I just think if you're a team that's been drafting in the first round as good as you've been, you don't give up that first rounder unless you know you're getting someone 'trustable.'

This is where I put my criticism on the people who evaluated his NHL and AHL time prior to the trade. They and Nill clearly thought he was ready to be an immediate NHL contributor and bought too much into the idea the Rangers logjam is why he wasn't playing versus his own play being why. That's where the trade failed. The trade as a concept makes plenty of sense if you trust your scouting.

 

[LT]

Can't say I feel the same way, he's young and has lots of potential. We would of gotten a similar player if we kept the pick and draft near the end of the first round.

Also, you can't really say he failed in NYR, he only played 20 something games. Not everyone steps into the NHL and makes it.

I still feel Nils can be a 5/6, but like everyone says, he just needs to play

His time in NY ended because they have:
Adam Fox, a Norris winning RD
Jacob Trouba, the RD team captain on an 8M AAV
and the last RD spot was between either Nils or Braden Schneider, another very young RD who is trending toward being Jani Hakanpaa 2.0 (i.e., coaches love this guy)

There was very little chance of Nils beating out Schneider, and the RD spots for NY were already secured by players for what seems like another decade.

It was a wise move to request a trade. Dallas probably seemed like a good fit what with Klingberg leaving and the dearth of RD.

----------

I still really like Nils. I think there are things he can do offensively that only Miro can, and that his skillset is rather unique within the organization. But yea, for whatever reason, he can't seem to catch a break with DeBoer. Some of that is definitely on him - he isn't forcing DeBoer to play him by creating a bunch of offense.

But I feel like his defense has improved considerably this year, and his puck play seems worse possibly due to fear of being benched or scratched. Can't help but feel that his size plays a role, too, even though I disagree that it should.

He's becoming enigmatic.

 

[LT]

Well I see I should've read the next page before responding

Just repeated what all was posted above.

 

[Azzuri]

Nils would be a fine bottom 4 defenseman who gives you offense from the backend but coaches decided they can't deal with his issues.

Every Dman makes mistakes. People are all about Harley right now but he has his defensive gaffes too. Nils just doesn't have the same rope others get.

 

[Elysian]

Weird to keep seeing people say he failed the Rangers, revisionist history at best.

 

[Troy McClure]

Weird to keep seeing people say he failed the Rangers, revisionist history at best.

I don't know. It seems like had he played really well during his extended NHL tryout a couple of years ago, he'd still be a NYR.

 

[Satan]

Weird to keep seeing people say he failed the Rangers, revisionist history at best.

He requested a trade out of NYR after they sent him to the minors- I don't think it's a stretch to say he didn't work out there.

 

[LT]

He requested a trade out of NYR after they sent him to the minors- I don't think it's a stretch to say he didn't work out there.

It can be (and was) both. He didn't stand out enough to force the Rangers' hand, but he also had a ridiculously difficult path in front of him to even get another opportunity with New York.

 

[Satan]

It can be (and was) both. He didn't stand out enough to force the Rangers' hand, but he also had a ridiculously difficult path in front of him to even get another opportunity with New York.

Totally - Fox and Trouba made his path difficult but the facts are that he lost his roster spot to a younger defenseman and then requested a trade once he was sent to the AHL.

Fast forward to now- he could've used some AHL seasoning and he's not close to being an NHL regular.

 

[Zapp]

I know this is a Lundkvist specific thread, but I can’t be bothered to even think about individual player development right now. Want Nils to be the answer but it doesn’t look realistic right now. A player producing this way at Pavelski’s age is un-f***ing-heard of, and good look finding a 30 goal scorer willing to sign for $3m a year (obviously Duchene is getting paid from Nashville as well).

I want a top 4 dman so we can go get this cup. We owe it to Pavs for the mountain of good things he’s done for this club. I could give a shit about anyone else right now.

 

[Elysian]

I don't know. It seems like had he played really well during his extended NHL tryout a couple of years ago, he'd still be a NYR.

Yeah, if he outplayed Fox and Trouba, he sure would still be a NYR right now.

 

[eartotheground]

Yeah, if he outplayed Fox and Trouba, he sure would still be a NYR right now.

that's kinda silly. he didn't have to outplay them, he needed to outplay the bottom of their d core.

 

[Satan]

Yeah, if he outplayed Fox and Trouba, he sure would still be a NYR right now.

he let Braden Schneider (drafted 2 years after Nils!) eat his lunch and then complained his way onto a new club

 

[LT]

he let Braden Schneider (drafted 2 years after Nils!) eat his lunch and then complained his way onto a new club

Schneider isn't exactly booming right now, either

 

[Troy McClure]

Yeah, if he outplayed Fox and Trouba, he sure would still be a NYR right now.

That wasn't even what they were asking him to do. They were asking him to be a solid third pair guy, and he wasn't.

 

[Kcb12345]

I know this is a Lundkvist specific thread, but I can’t be bothered to even think about individual player development right now. Want Nils to be the answer but it doesn’t look realistic right now. A player producing this way at Pavelski’s age is un-f***ing-heard of, and good look finding a 30 goal scorer willing to sign for $3m a year (obviously Duchene is getting paid from Nashville as well).

I want a top 4 dman so we can go get this cup. We owe it to Pavs for the mountain of good things he’s done for this club. I could give a shit about anyone else right now.

I'd give anything to watch Pavelski win the Cup. You're right tho without a top 4 dman that won't be us. I said I'd give anything, we might have to give Pavelski to Vegas if we want him to get a cup

 

[eartotheground]

i will say, if what they said about the offseason is true and he really took his fitness seriously, and that ethic carries over to his practice habits, there's a chance he still develops into a serviceable player. just might not have the talent level to get there quickly.

 

[Elysian]

That wasn't even what they were asking him to do. They were asking him to be a solid third pair guy, and he wasn't.

He's not a shut down guy, he's never going to be that player.

 

[eartotheground]

He's not a shut down guy, he's never going to be that player.

didn't and doesn't need to be a shut down guy; he needs to not be a sieve in his own end, and rack up points in the other.

 

[Satan]

Schneider isn't exactly booming right now, either

Nope- it's funny how sports work lmao

maybe he will demand a trade and Jim Nill can take another 1st round pick gamble

 

[piqued]

What really annoys me about all of this is that the Stars have 3 defensemen. Miro/Harley/Lindell. The rest are barely NHL players and shouldn't be anywhere near a Cup contender. And instead of using this time to actually develop a 4th functional player who has the skill to do so, we've just thrown our arms in the air and given up a 3rd of the way through. So now we need to acquire half of an entire NHL defense before the playoffs. Good luck with that.

 

[eartotheground]

What really annoys me about all of this is that the Stars have 3 defensemen. Miro/Harley/Lindell. The rest are barely NHL players and shouldn't be anywhere near a Cup contender. And instead of using this time to actually develop a 4th functional player who has the skill to do so, we've just thrown our arms in the air and given up a 3rd of the way through. So now we need to acquire half of an entire NHL defense before the playoffs. Good luck with that.

eh, jani is fine on the pk.

and no nhl team has 6 solid defenseman and a forward core that doesn't have holes. it's the beauty of the salary cap man. parity!