Kevin Shattenkirk Trade Rumors: 5 Potential Trade Scenarios

Kevin Shattenkirk Trade Rumors: “Agent Expects Trade Soon”, 5 Potential Trade Scenarios

It seems both Kevin Shattenkirk and his agent has come to the realization that his tenure with the St.Louis Blues is drawing to an end after weeks of trade rumors. Following heated speculation at the NHL Draft, Kevin’s agent Jordan Neumann told the St.Louis Dispatch that he and his client believe the inevitable end should soon be coming.

“I would say at this point, Kevin and I do think it is inevitable that he ultimately will get traded,” said agent Jordan Neumann “So with that in mind, I guess any player in that situation would certainly hope it would be sooner rather than later.”

via NHL.com,

“Doug inferred that Kevin probably wouldn’t be re-signing there beyond next season, and therefore he thought it was in both our best interests and the Blues’ best interests that he pursue a trade,” Neumann told reporter Jeremy Rutherford. “I would say that neither Kevin nor I was surprised. I think we all kind of saw it coming.”

“Maybe my asking price is too high or maybe I value him higher than other people,” Armstrong said at the draft. “But I haven’t been anywhere close to what I think is representative of the value of Kevin Shattenkirk.”

Kevin Shattenkirk is a 27-year-old right-handed shooting defender with 410 games of NHL experience (242 points). He has one year remaining on a four-year deal which carries a $4.25 million dollar cap hit.

Given his age, skill-set, and fact he possesses that elusive RH shot, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that rumors suggest numerous teams are calling regarding his availability.

Kevin Shattenkirk Trade Rumors: 5 Potential Trade Scenarios

Boston Bruins

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Both Torey Krug and Colin Miller are RH shots, while Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara shoot left. Logic would dictate that targets should be LH to replace the aging veterans, but the hope is that prospects such as Charlie McAvoy, Jakub Zboril, or Ryan Lindgren will one day eventually replace them.

In the meantime, Colin Miller is still young and will need a few years to fully develop. Why not bring in Shattenkirk who can slide into that second pairing for the time being, with the possibility of being traded again at a later date? At least that way, if the worst should happen and Colin Miller develops into nothing more than a bottom pair/depth defender, the B’s have insurance.

Edmonton Oilers

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After watching Jesse Puljujarvi fall into their lap at the NHL Draft, one of Nail Yakupov or Jordan Eberle join the list of Oilers forwards who are now expendable.

No team needs defense as badly as Edmonton, and even though RHD Adam Larsson is a big addition, there’s still room for another quality right-handed shot.

Los Angeles Kings

For a couple of years now, Los Angeles has played with a hole in their top four left by Slava Voynov. Shattenkirk would be a perfect fit in the Kings top four with Drew Doughty, Jake Muzzin, and Alec Martinez.

Constructing a return package might prove difficult given it would take something involving Tanner Pearson or Tyler Toffoli.

Tampa Bay Lightning

This might prove difficult for Steve Yzerman given their cap situation, but they do have several defenders with lucrative contracts. If the Lightning could convince St.Louis to take on one of those contracts plus a forward, a deal might be had. Names might include Valtteri Filppula, Alex Killorn, or Vladislav Namestnikov.

Next: St.Louis Blues Free Agency Preview

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs are set on the left side with Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. There is however a lack of RH shots within the organization. It’s well known that Mike Babcock stresses importance on LH-RH pairings, which makes this a decent fit. He’s still 27, and would fit the Leafs rebuild plan.

Potential return pieces as part of a package could include forwards Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, or maybe goaltender Jonathan Bernier to back up Jake Allen.

In this scenario, Toronto might be facing that inevitable crossroad where you begin making decisions on prospects. After this past weekend, the RW prospect pool looks like this: Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Yegor Korshkov, Carl Grundstrom, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown, and Nikita Soshnikov.