Vince Dunn named NHL's third star for January as breakout year continues

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 21: Vince Dunn #29 of the Seattle Kraken makes a pass during the first period of a game against the Colorado Avalanche at Climate Pledge Arena on January 21, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Christopher Mast/NHLI v

Vince Dunn was projected as one of the top breakout candidates for the Seattle Kraken after being selected in last year's Expansion Draft.

After being stuck on the third defensive pairing on a talented St. Louis Blues team that won the Stanley Cup in the 2019-20 season, Dunn would have the chance to play larger minutes and quarterback a power play unit in Seattle.

Like much of the optimism surrounding the Kraken's debut season, that rosy outlook for Dunn fell apart. Dunn didn't have a bad season for Seattle. It just wasn't the potential breakthrough that was envisioned.

Instead, that breakout campaign just needed a year to marinate.

Dunn, 26, was named the third star of the month by the NHL for January as the Kraken went 11-3-1 to vault themselves to the top of the Pacific Division. 

"He's been a good player for us every night and that's something that he worked at," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "He's really worked elevate that portion of his preparation all the way through last year and really, from the start of this year he's been able to achieve that. You're not going to be perfect or great every night."

Dunn had 17 points for the month with five goals and 12 assists, which included a career-high and franchise-record nine-game point streak. Dunn has partnered with Adam Larsson to deliver a standout top defensive pairing that has scoring acumen and defensive resolve.

"I just try to take advantage of my opportunity," Dunn said. "I think the lineup that we put out every night is a little bit different than last year. It's given me a lot of opportunity to create chances for myself."

Dunn matched a career-high with 35 points on nine goals and 27 assists last season with Seattle in 73 games played. This year, Dunn has already set a new career-high with 36 points in just 49 games at the All-Star break.

"I think it's just the consistency of it which is so impressive," fellow defenseman Jamie Oleksiak said, "You know, I mean, I think you see guys have great spurts, but he's been great all year. He's earned everything that's come to him. And he's doing it on a consistent basis, which is really impressive."

Via MoneyPuck.com, when the pairing of Dunn and Larsson is on the ice for Seattle, the Kraken score at a rate of 4.02 goals per 60 minutes. That ranks third among all defensive pairings in the NHL to have been on the ice together for at least 150 minutes this season. Only Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin with the Buffalo Sabres (4.71) and Mikhail Sergachev and Nick Perbix of the Tampa Bay Lightning (4.02) rate higher.

However, Seattle's duo have played over 500 more minutes together than Segachev and Perbix, and over 650 more minutes than Power and Dahlin.

"I think the way that we've found chemistry within our lineup, forwards and defense, all credit to Lars on my other side," Dunn said. "He plays really well for me every single night, battles for me, finds me opportunities offensively. So I think just the whole team doing well. I think you put the team first and individual success comes from that so I give full credit to all my teammates.

"He's covered my ass a few times so I always thank him when I get back to the bench. Sometimes I get caught slipping a little bit and I think it's good to know that he relies on me to maybe get a goal back or to change the momentum back. You know, he always says he never doubts me. So just knowing that he's confident with me on his left side makes me feel good when I'm out there just focusing on my game."

Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic has developed an advanced statistic dubbed Game Score Value Added (GSVA), which functions much in the same way WAR (Wins Above Replacement) does in baseball. It provides weighted values for goals, assists, shots, blocks, penalties, face-offs and more.

Through January 29, Dunn ranks 16th among all skaters in the NHL with a GSVA of 2.7. He ranks sixth among all defensemen behind Adam Fox (NY Rangers), Erik Karlsson (San Jose Sharks), Hampus Lindholm (Boston Bruins), Dahlin, and Dougie Hamilton (New Jersey Devils).

In the more traditional stats, Dunn is 12th in the league in points and fourth in plus-minus at plus-26 among defensemen. Dunn and Larsson also both rank in the top 20 in the NHL in ice time per game this season. It speaks to the trust they've earned from Hakstol to play in so many different situations.

"I think just the confidence that I've built for myself," Dunn said of his success this year. "Having a lot more passion for wanting to be in different situations like penalty killing and six-on-five. Those are moments that I've always wanted to be in. So I think that kind of shapes my game all around. I think the positions I've been put in by my coaches, trusting that I know that they rely on me to do my part and to be a leader on this team, especially on the back end. So I think all those things are definitely contributing to the season that I'm having."

While Dunn isn't likely going to beat out Fox or Karlsson in discussions for the Norris Trophy, he's put himself into that next tier of defensemen in the NHL this season.

"You're not going to be perfect or great every night. That's not realistic, but he's been real good on a consistent basis for us," Hakstol said. "That's allowing him to grow into a guy that has a leadership voice at the right time. So, you know, all of those parts for me come back to consistency and just readiness to go out and do the job, whatever that job is."