Chris Stewart is next up in our Trade Target series, a closer look players who could be dealt leading up to the March 2nd trade deadline. Written by Peter Harling, who can be found on twitter @pharling.
Would the real Chris Stewart please stand up?
Since arriving in the NHL, Chris Stewart has been somewhat of a rollercoaster of a ride. His breakout season was in 2009-10 with Colorado, when he scored 28 goals and 36 assists for 64 points in 77 games, 0.83 points per game. His performance the following season was slightly better with a 0.85 PPG pace over 62 games. In 2010-11, he split the season between Colorado and St. Louis and his performance fell to just 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 79 games, only 0.38 PPG. In his first full season with the Blues he rebounded to 0.75 PPG until he was traded to Buffalo where he has fallen all the way back to 0.38 PPG with nine goals and 13 assists in 58 games.
Stewart is almost a lock to be traded by the deadline, as he is a pending UFA after his $4.15 million contract expires and he has not proven to be a good fit in Buffalo. The Sabres GM Tim Murray is reportedly seeking a second round pick and a prospect in return, and has been shopping Stewart since the fall.
At 6’2” and 231 pounds Stewart is more than capable of playing the power game that teams love. In his final full season in St Louis, he led the Blues in goals, power play points and points and has an offensive balance with 124 career goals and 126 career assists. That is the Chris Stewart that the team who trades for his services will be counting on, and at only 27 years old, he is not too far removed from that level of play.
The Boston Bruins have been pursuing Stewart for some time and see him as a nice fit on their top line at the right wing with David Krejci (written before Krejci’s injury) and Milan Lucic. The Bruins have been searching for a replacement for Jarome Iginla on that line since he signed with the Avalanche as a free agent in the summer. The Bruins have the means to part with a pick and a prospect if they believe it will help them make their third trip to the Stanley Cup finals, and there is plenty of pressure on Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli as the team is currently struggling to hold onto a wild card spot.
While other teams will be interested in pursuing Stewart, there is a good chance that if he is acquired by a team in contention for a Cup run, and finds himself playing meaningful hockey and for a new contract, that the power forward he has shown flashes of could return.
From OwnThePuck
