Vince Dunn

Dunn seemed like an obvious breakout candidate after being selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft. His first year with the team was solid, but his numbers (seven goals, 28 assists, 11 power-play points in 73 games) were roughly right in line with what we had seen from him in past seasons with the Blues. Seattle made no significant additions on the blue line this offseason, ensuring Dunn will return as the club's power-play quarterback, so there is again some sneaky fantasy upside here in the middle-to-late rounds of drafts this fall.

Dunn was on the trade block for seemingly ever, so of course the Blues eventually lost him to Seattle for nothing in the expansion draft. Dunn is an offensive-minded defenseman who has posted no fewer than five goals in each of his first four NHL seasons. He's also posted at least 20 points each of those years, including a 35-point breakout back in 2018-19. Dunn offers little in terms of secondary category production (blocks, hits, plus-minus rating), so he will have to pile up the points to be of use to fantasy owners. A lot of people are curious to see what Dunn -- who inked a two-year, $8 million contract with the Kraken in August -- will do with an expanded role, and he'll get that chance this season. Remember him on draft day.

Dunn was a decent source of offense from the blue line for the Blues in 2019-20, finishing the shortened regular season with nine goals, 14 assists, 10 power-play points and 138 shots in 71 contests. The 24 year old's even-strength role may grow a bit now that minute-monster Alex Pietrangelo is no longer in the picture, and he'll still man the point on St. Louis' second power-play unit, but fantasy owners shouldn't expect much more than a double-digit goal, 35-point pace with solid man-advantage production and around two shots on net per contest from Dunn in 2020-21. That sort of production isn't necessarily exciting, but fantasy managers could do worse than Dunn when looking to add blue-line depth in the later rounds of this year's drafts.

Dunn took another step forward last season by notching 12 goals and 35 points -- eight on the power play -- over 78 games. Although Dunn's defensive-zone play could use some work, he often worked on the top power play as a quarterback for guys like Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly, proving the 22-year-old is just a year or two away from being a top-pair talent. The Blues are likely retaining their blue line, except for Joel Edmundson, but both Carl Gunnarsson and Jay Bouwmeester are aging and susceptible to injuries, so Dunn could become the team's top left defenseman. While depending on injuries is ill advised, Dunn should be considered a late-round sleeper pick since his ceiling could be around 50 points if the Blues' power play shows competence this season.

The 2015 second-round (56th overall) draft pick entered training camp last September tired of the AHL lifestyle. And by tired, we mean hungry for more challenges. Dunn stole the last spot on the blue line from 2012 first-round pick Jordan Schmaltz and cemented himself in the top four by the end of the season. Dunn managed five goals and 19 assists in his rookie campaign while averaging 17:14 per game with power-play duties, where he posted nine points. The 21-year-old has superb puck possession as well -- he finished with a 54.7 Corsi For percent -- earning him a spot at World Juniors with Team Canada, which is a tribute to where his game can go. With a re-invented offense to complement his game, Dunn appears to have a strong chance to surpass 35 points in 2018-19, especially when teamed up with Colton Parayko.