Thanks, Arizona, for your charitable contribution.

Make talvitie a 23 2nd and that’s a deal

I dont know why but i like that Mikkola trade for the Devils
Seems like he plays with a little bit of an edge which is exactly what we need come playoff time

Playing Mikkola would probably be a big mistake.
He's been quite terrible this season and would be a significant downgrade from Smith, Bahl or Okhotiuk.

I think the goal would be to not play him over Smith. If you make a deep cup run, you probably need extra defensemen. If he needs to play a few games, his job will be to come over the boards and hold it together in his own end. If lindy has the confidence in him to play that role with some degree of competence his real contribution is as a body that gives lindy the flexibility to keep the top 4 a bit more fresh and have some deployment flexibility. I dont really care if hes a net negative offensively.

Hes been fine defensively at even strength. Almost all of the blues have been bad short handed. Doubt he would be deployed on special teams very much anyway. The RAPM and xGAR suggest he would be an upgrade over Bahl in that context. The analytics agree with you when it comes to Okhotiuk though. What the rates arent really showing is that lindy doesnt seem to trust either of them. That seems to be changing a bit with Okhotiuk, but hes still very inexperienced. There seems to be a very short leash with Bahl. As soon as he looks a little shaky, or a close game wanes late into the 3rd lindy turns Bahl into a grocery stick, and starts double shifting guys like smith graves and seigs in defensive starts. I was at the game last night and I legit watched him sit in the exact same spot on the bench for what seemed like most of the 3rd period. Could give some context to why his rates are somewhat promising.

I think this period in the Devils current juncture is very unique.
With Marino still injured, the Devils rather comfortably to make the playoffs and have the three of Bahl, Okhotiuk and Walsh losing their waiver exemption for 23/24 there is no better opportunity to get Bahl and Okhotiuk some really important reps in and more experience.
There's an opportunity here to permanently push this Devils core past the idea of ever 'trading for an extra, gritty bottom pairing defenceman' again.
That's why it'd be such a monumental waste to throw in the towel and burn a pick for Mikkola when there really is no need for it.
Okhotiuk and Bahl are somewhat inexperienced now, yes, but there's no reason for both of them to still be that come the playoffs.

Anyway, I don't have access to RAPM so thanks for that insight, but according to GS and GSVA Bahl and Okhotiuk blow Mikkola out of the water as is, and you'd think that'd exacerbate further by letting them get more experience in over the course of the season, say nothing of how aging curves work.