The St. Louis Blues are in a predicament. The NHL has grown tremendously, and the talent in the league has gotten better and better as the years go on. Now, in the Central Division, the Blues could be falling behind the eight-ball with teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators, and the Dallas Stars making significant strides in their rosters. In order to compete with those teams, the Blues are going to have to make some drastic changes to their current roster construction.
Reflecting on this past season’s trade deadline, the Blues decided against a trade involving one of either Pavel Buchnevich, Colton Parayko, Jordan Kyrou, or any of the other names listed on the trade block. The reasoning for not moving these players is all under speculation although, many can assume it has everything to do with the value of return not being good enough and not wanting to sell. Which, if these reasonings are the case, the Blues could look to capitalize in the trade market this offseason to help their chances in a rather tough division. Assuming the Blues recognize the tough road ahead for them, they could check on the status of a few of the Arizona Coyotes players and whether they are happy with the move to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Arizona Coyotes Relocation Situation
The Coyotes will be moving to Salt Lake City, Utah now that their season is officially over. Now, inside the locker room, players may or may not be happy with the decision, but to this point, there haven’t been any Coyotes players who have spoken out in the media since everything has come to fruition – more than likely, an order from the front office.
Relocation is always a difficult thing for the players of the organization; moving families, getting housing, adjusting to the location and the area all the while remaining a top professional in the beloved game of hockey. It’s not an easy task for players, and that came across in the media when franchise player Clayton Keller said in the press conference after everything came out regarding the Coyotes relocation rumors.
Keller stated that he and the rest of the locker room were not really informed, but that it was felt because everyone was texting and talking about it on social media. It’s under those pretenses that Keller could be available; although, he won’t be cheap. Luckily for the Blues, they have players and contracts to move to entice the Coyotes organization into a trade.
How the Blues Could Make a Trade Work
The Blues are in a position now that will require a level of tenacity and aggressiveness from general manager Doug Armstrong in the open market. The league is becoming more and more difficult every day and making sure that they are acquiring talent to keep up with some of the teams in the division is crucial to their success in the near future. To ensure this point, they should look to make a trade for Keller and move some of their prospects that are NHL-ready as well as some draft capital.
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The Blues are fortunate enough to have a deep prospect pool with numerous players who are considered future top-six forwards and top-four pairing defensemen. The emergence of Matthew Kessel this season, Dalibor Dvorsky, Otto Stenberg, Theo Lindstein, Michael Buchinger, and Jimmy Snuggerud – only to name a few.
The pipeline the Blues have could make this trade easier than many might think. They will have cap space open up this offseason and could be looking to move at least one of Torey Krug or Justin Faulk to open up the cap space even more. In doing so, they could open themselves up to making a trade for a big name who is proven to be a top-six forward. As for what they’d have to give up, it more than likely would start with their 2024 first-round selection.
This year, the Blues will more than likely hold the 16th selection in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft which puts them in a tough position. They aren’t going to be getting the elite of the elite, but they’ll be getting a solid player. If they have the chance to move that pick with some value, that would be a good start. Furthermore, with Keller being proven, the Coyotes could be looking for multiple NHL-ready prospects and even an NHLer which works in the Blues’ favor.
With the Blues’ current cap situation, they could potentially look to send another player in the Coyotes’ direction. Although unlikely, if the Coyotes are looking to compete, the Blues could work out a scenario that would send Bolduc, a first-round pick this season, and perhaps salary retention on Justin Faulk’s contract for Keller.
Why the Blues-Keller Connection Would Work
The Blues and Keller seem like a match made in heaven. They need to get a proven guy on the top line alongside budding superstar Robert Thomas, and Keller could be just that. Even though the Blues have Snuugerud who could potentially be that player one day, he’s yet to even play in an NHL game and has rather large expectations to live up to.
The entire city of St. Louis expects that he’s going to immediately become a franchise player when he hits the ice for the Blues, but that’s simply not realistic. When talking about prospects, it generally takes a year or two to adapt to the speed, lifestyle, training, media, and intense schedule it takes to succeed. Looking at Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, Nico Hischier, and Shane Wright, all these players took years to become top-six forwards or more and they were drafted in the top 10. Snuggerud being drafted later in the first round speaks to what the expectation really should be, which is that he will start on the third line and have to earn a spot. In the meantime, the Blues need to stay competitive and continue to fight for a playoff spot, and getting Keller would help them accomplish that.
The second reason that Keller would be a great fit is because he was born in St. Louis. This would be a “come home” moment and he would be a terrific fit on a young and budding team of players. As for Keller, he deserves to be a part of something better than what the Coyotes have offered him. Getting him in a Blues uniform should be a top priority for Armstrong this offseason.