Melnichuk is playing a year in the AHL. Tim Heed is not and NHL defenseman. I’m pretty certain Galchenyuk is no longer a top six.

This team is pretty depressing tbh

Tim Heed is not an NHL defensman? Hard disagree bro.

I mean we didn't lose any picks or prospects... but we also don't make the playoffs

He’s never played 40 games in a season and that’s with all the injuries we have had on the blue line. That’s saying something.

Cause DeBoer always hated him for whatever reason. I think a clear example of that was last year in the playoffs when DeBoer decided to dress and bench Ryan for like 20 games while Heed remained a healthy scratch and was definitely better than Ryan. He has admittedly had some bad stretches, but from both advanced stats and the eye test, he's deserved way more games. He's not very physical or big physically, but he has a great shot, is a very good neutral zone passer and is overall solid in both zones.

Ryan sucked in the playoffs, but Heed is a small, offensive defenseman who doesn't actually produce offense. We always here that he has a great shot, and we see it used successfully like once or twice a year. that's not enough to warrant playtime over someone like Middleton who adds some size and is younger with more potential.

Watching all of the games he played this year after November, he was great as a 3rd pairing defensman. Just because he wasn't scoring bardown clappers every game doesn't mean he doesn't have a good shot. I saw him get shots through just as often if not more consistently than anyone else on the blue line. Lot of rebounds and tips created for that reason. I'm not saying hes a top 4 defensman, but he's worthy of a spot over Middleton. And even if he apparently isn't he should get more games than he was given this year.

He's not that small either. 6'0", 186 is pretty standard for an NHL player.

186 lbs is small for a defenseman and he's 29. Middleton is 24 with good size and is a decent skater. On a team with EK65 and Burns (with Merkley on the way), it makes more sense to give opportunities to a younger, more defensive-minded guy, particularly one who can use size near the net -- especially with Dillon no longer on the team.

I'm not saying the guy needs to be scoring a bunch but the guy had four points playing nearly half the season. If I remember correctly, his SAT stats were good, but I'd rather see someone else in the third pairing. I think Heed is best as a fill-in, 7th defenseman on an 800k/year deal.