St. Louis Blues Must Tread Lightly in Offseason

The St. Louis Blues are in need of a change. This is a fact many people have come to realize when, once again, the team made an early exit in the postseason.

The team already made waves by moving fan-favorite T.J. Oshie and getting Troy Brouwer in return from the Washington Capitals. Now, over the past week, there have been rumors swirling about the team trading defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

Aside from me believing that trading him would be absolutely ridiculous, I feel the Blues have to be careful on what they do to their team this offseason as they are in a very interesting situation. And by that I mean they are a good team who ended this season with 109 points, tied with the Anaheim Ducks for first in the Western Conference, but failed miserably in the postseason.

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The Blues weren’t like the Arizona Coyotes or Edmonton Oilers who had trouble competing with other teams in the NHL and fell to the bottom of the standings. It is clear that personnel issues and lack of talent were the root of their problems—and both of these teams have done things to change that.

But for the Blues, well, we don’t really know their issue; it’s hard to pinpoint. They have talented players, a decent goaltending tandem and one of the best defensemen in the League in Shattenkirk.

Yes, things have to change, but the Blues should make sure not to change too much. They have a talented roster and were able to perform in the regular season. Tinkering too much could be as harmful as doing nothing.

With that said, Shattenkirk cannot be moved.

It could be because the club has defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester locked up in long-term contracts. Pietrangelo is signed through 2019-20 with a salary cap hit of $6.5 million, while Bouwmeester is inked through ’18-19 at $5.4 million.Shattenkirk has two more seasons remaining on a four-year, $17 million contract. At 28 and an unrestricted free agent when that deal expires, Shattenkirk’s salary is expected to see a significant hike, likely exceeding Pietrangelo’s current contract. At the very least, the Blues would have three defensemen with cap hits of $5.4 million or more. —Jeremy Rutherford, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

OK, so again the salary cap would be an issue in the future. And I understand the benefit of selling a player who has a high value, which, after last season, Shattenkirk surely does (recording eight goals and 44 points in 56 games), but there is no way the Blues could get anyone comparable to him this offseason. If the Blues really want to make a splash next season and make a deep playoff run, they need Shattenkirk in their lineup.

So, how do they fix their postseason problems? Well, I know unloading your roster for the sake of change is not how you go about putting together a Stanley Cup-caliber team.

The Blues need to tweak, not destroy and rebuild. Of course, some moves are going to happen because of the salary cap, while others will be more calculated in hopes of adding that winning ingredient to the mix.

Maybe adding more role-type players will elevate the Blues’ game? I think a lot of people underestimate their value, and only recognize their importance come playoff time. Well, this is exactly when the Blues need players to shine.

In general, I think teams like the Blues should focus on changing, adding or getting rid of forwards rather than defensemen. In my mind, you don’t want to mess with a defensive unit that is strong and is working. Even if it’s not perfect, I believe it is harder to stack the backend with rare talent than it is anywhere else on the ice.

So, St. Louis really, really, really think about the ramifications of your actions before you do anything rash. You are in a sticky situation, one that is harder to solve than those teams that were at the bottom of the League’s standings. You really have to think about how trading top talent, like Shattenkirk, would affect the chemistry of the team, as well as your chances to make it to the playoffs.

Shattenkirk is one of those players you don’t want to move unless it is absolutely necessary. And even then I would still think twice before going through with it.

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