{"id":18860,"date":"2017-11-08T07:10:28","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T12:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=18860"},"modified":"2017-11-09T11:44:06","modified_gmt":"2017-11-09T16:44:06","slug":"vince-dunn-deserves-roster-spot-st-louis-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/11\/08\/vince-dunn-deserves-roster-spot-st-louis-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"Rookie Vince Dunn Deserves Spot With the St. Louis Blues"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Louis Blues<\/a>\u00a0defencemen Jay Bouwmeester<\/a><\/strong> has been injured since training camp when he fractured his ankle during practice. As of right now, Bouwmeester has only skated a few times because his ankle still bothers him. There is not a specific timetable for his return. The Blues are making him take it slow for now.<\/p>\n

Rookie Vince Dunn Deserves Spot With the St. Louis Blues<\/h1>\n

With Bouwmeester out of the lineup, rookie Vince Dunn<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0has stepped up and filled in nicely on the Blue blueline. Still, when Bouwmeester returns to the lineup, Dunn will more than likely be the odd man out. The defensive pairings will shift to look more like this:<\/p>\n

Jay Bouwmeester<\/strong> and Alex Pietrangelo<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Carl Gunnarsson<\/a><\/strong> and Colton Parayko<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Joel Edmundson<\/a><\/strong> and Robert Bortuzzo<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dunn’s Impact<\/h2>\n

Despite\u00a0Dunn’s strong play, The Blues are likely going to use a more experienced blueline. That means more experienced NHL veterans like Carl Gunnarsson <\/strong>or Joel Edmundson <\/strong>will draw in the lineup over Dunn.<\/p>\n

Dunn, however, is making a \u00a0strong case for himself to stay in the lineup. He is proving that he has what it takes to play in the NHL full-time. In his 16 games this season, he has four points, is plus seven and averages 16:35 minutes per game. While this might not seem like much, he is a noticeable presence on the ice. He constantly gets involved in the plays. Dunn has shown poise beyond his years in his own end so far as well.<\/p>\n

\n

While this may not look like much, Vince Dunn’s puck retrieval and elusiveness in the defensive zone is remarkable. #stlblues<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/vg5BQy2nIE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) October 29, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n