Fact or Fiction: Is Dunham a Good Aquisition?

Glen Sather makes trades like Mark Messier harbors
injuries.

You know they're there... the failure to acknowledge them
hurts the team... it is previewed by months of media
speculation...and then, almost anti-climatically,
the trade/injury is announced.

So, surprise - the club finally announced that Richter
will be out for the season, and Sather pulls the trigger
on a Mike Dunham to prop up the 19 year old who played
17 straight NHL games.

I guess as soon as Sather has a replacement for Bure
he'll let us know that Pavel is out for the year, too.

Now, let's be straight - this is a Tomas Kloucek for
Mike Dunham deal. Rem Murray and Zidlicky are throw-ins
for salary and 'can't be judged for a few years' reasons.

So, easy question - how's this trade rank?

Mike Dunham - A Quick Analysis

Gut read on Mike Dunham is good. Really good.

- He's 30. Prime age for an NHL 'tender.
- He has relatively little wear and tear over the years.
- He had a stellar 2000 season with a .923 SVP 2.28 GAA
- Since then his stats have decreased with the Predators
- He had a solid camp for the US at the Olympics

So here's a guy with the talent to thrive but has
been worn down by the losing in Nashville. A change of
scenery to New York could be the lift to his career
that vaults him back to his 2000 season status.

Tomas Kloucek - did we know ye?

Yes, I include myself among the throngs of Ranger fans
who was mesmerized by Tomas Kloucek's dominance at the
NHL level before his knee injury.

Yes, I think he was screwed with by Ron Low.

But, for a player who relies on physical play, the
words 'tentative' have been used to describe Tomas
more frequently than I would've liked. His concussion
this season only augments the concern.

I hope, for his sake, that Kloucek regains his form.
But if you were taking a risk management course, a
physical player who has become tentative and
inconsistent would be defined as a significant risk.

...and Josh Green

Nice to see that Sather also brought in another
player who could benefit from a change of scenery in
6'4, 220 lb Edmonton winger Josh Green.

With Dixon Ward easily filling the 'void' left by
Rem Murray, it's nice to finally have a hulking
young potential power forward on the roster.

But what about Dafoe?

Let's look at stats at the end of the season to be
fair. But, it should be noted that away from the
good Boston defense, Byron has put up a .856 SVP
and a 4.13 GAA in Atlanta so far.

The Deal: Thumbs up

Two questions to any deal. Does it make this team
better, and does it hurt the future.

We've added Mike Dunham and Josh Green to the
roster and traded Rem Murray and demoted
Holmqvist to Hartford. Um, that's good.

And, yes, Kloucek could be great. But Dunham
could rise to the top of goalie rankings again,
while Josh Green has the potential to be a
potent power forward. Both newcomers would
then have years ahead of them in a Ranger
sweater. At the least, you'd need to call
future implications a wash.

Overall - a good day for Sather.

-Gabe

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