And that’s why they call them the Blues…
Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch: Again the question was asked to Doug Armstrong about the trade deadline and this was his response.
“I would say: ‘To be determined,” general manager Doug Armstrong told the Post-Dispatch. “It’s a cliché, but the players tell you what you’re supposed to do at the deadline. You don’t tell the players. Their play will indicate what we do.”
Sadly, the core of St. Louis providing the source of disappointment has been disheartening. Consider Brayden Schenn is off by 20 points and Vladimir Tarasenko is 12 points off last year’s pace. Tarasenko heating up is helpful but the consistently inconsistent play includes Jake Allen. Allen has been especially disappointing which adds to the uncertainty.
Then there is Jaden Schwartz and more of the Blues…
Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic: (mailbag) The hardest thing to fathom with St. Louis may be that Schwartz has just three goals currently. It hurts more than any Blues fan can imagine but could a change of scenery help? The problem is selling this low creates more problems than it solves.
This could become a bit of a theme for St. Louis. Could they ponder unloading Alex Pietrangelo or Colton Parayko? If this happened, St. Louis would need a top-four right-handed shooting defenseman. Is one out there on the marketplace that would pique Armstrong’s interests? There’s a chance at least — albeit a slight one.
Finally, look to see Alexander Steen get shown the door via a buyout. The possibility increases by the day.
A Six Pack Of Bargain Players
Andrew Berkshire of SportsNet: Obtaining value at the deadline is essential. Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Toffoli headline players that could thrive on contenders post-trade deadline. Kevin Hayes surprised many by evolving into a huge playmaker when it comes to passing to the slot and off the rush.
Thomas Vanek becomes old reliable in a sense but his defensive liabilities are well known. The wildcard is not Brandon Saad as much as Evgenii Dadonov. One question asked has to be how much of Dadonov’s offense is derived from Aleksander Barkov. If Florida feels they can get value now for Dadonov, the Panthers could pull the trigger.