Niko Mikkola’s simple game on ‘D’ makes him a Trade Deadline safety net option

Credit: © Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

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With just over four weeks until the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline, we’ve got you covered at Daily Faceoff every day with at least one trade-focused story leading up to Deadline Day.

Today we’re going to focus on St. Louis Blues defenseman Niko Mikkola, who was ranked No. 17 on our last Trade Targets board.

2023 Trade Deadline Countdown: 29 days

NIKO MIKKOLA
Left Defense, St. Louis Blues
Shoots: Left
Age: 26
Height: 6’4″ | Weight: 185 lbs.
Cap Hit: $1.9 million
Term: Pending UFA
Trade Clauses: No restrictions
Stats: 50 GP, 0 goals, 3 assists, 3 points, 16:39 avg TOI
Career: 4th season (all with St. Louis), 139 GP, 4 goals, 20 points, 16:14 avg TOI

Archetype and Ideal Role

Depth Defenseman. Third pair, second unit penalty kill.

Scouting Report

Mikkola checks most of the boxes teams would want to find in a depth defenseman. He has size. He makes simple plays and doesn’t try to do too much. He can move well. He competes hard and is willing to sacrifice to make a play for his team.

By far, Mikkola’s best attribute is his ability to pressure attackers in the defensive one. He can efficiently move point to point in the Blues’ end and force the opposition to speed up their processing, disrupting offensive flow.

Buyer Beware

Mikkola has found himself in a depth role because he has limitations in a number of different areas. He lacks defensive sense at times and fails to properly process pressure. Through the neutral zone, even though he moves well, he struggles to maintain solid gaps and continues to back into the zone. In his zone, one of his biggest issues is that he struggles to sense danger particularly when the play shifts to the other side of the ice. He uses his mobility to attack and is aggressive, but he often arrives late.

Mikkola’s puck play also leaves a lot to be desired. He can make a short, simple five or 10-foot pass, but is prone to turnovers under pressure. He is also extremely limited in the offensive end, as evidenced by his four total career goals and 20 points.

Overall, Mikkola falls into the category of a restricted free agent that probably got paid too much as a result of a broken arbitration system. Given his experience, he will be a low-cost addition for a team that is looking for an insurance piece and defensive depth heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Potential Fits

Tampa Bay Lightning: The Bolts are always in the market for inexpensive depth and could use a cheaper acquisition defenseman down the stretch, if not for anything than to provide some rest and load management for their horses.
Edmonton Oilers: Mikkola could fit for Edmonton given that they’d like to move off of Jesse Puljujarvi and Mikkola would add a mobile depth defender to their group.
Vegas Golden Knights: The Golden Knights have been banged up on the back end this season and some of their rearguards are getting a little long in the tooth, so Mikkola is another option as they look to bolster their blueline.

Comparable Trade Returns

March 21, 2022
To Boston: Josh Brown, 2022 7th Round Pick (Jackson Edward)
To Ottawa: Zach Senyshyn, 2022 5th Round Pick (Kevin Reidler)

March 20, 2022
To Los Angeles: Troy Stecher
To Detroit: 2022 7th Round Pick (Brennan Ali)

Brown and Stecher were two depth defensemen moved last year at the deadline, one for a pending Group VI UFA reclamation project in Senyshyn and one for a late-round draft pick.

Summary

Mikkola provides depth for what should be a low acquisition cost given his contract status and overall body of work. The saying goes you can never have too many defensemen for a Stanley Cup playoff run and Mikkola, who does have some playoff experience, would allow a general manager to sleep a little more soundly at night if pressed into duty.