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NHL Trade Rumors: St. Louis Blues linked to Max Pacioretty

By Dave Stevenson

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 07: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens looks on during the warm-up prior to the NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre on January 7, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 07: Max Pacioretty #67 of the Montreal Canadiens looks on during the warm-up prior to the NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Bell Centre on January 7, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The latest NHL trade rumors have the St. Louis Blues linked to Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty

The St. Louis Blues are looking to add some scoring for the playoffs. Also, they’re trying to tread water in a very competitive Central Division. Getting one of the top three spots is important, especially when the wild card teams have to face the division leaders. The Blues are definitely doing their homework. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, their latest target is Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty.

This comes just a day after a report had the Blues talking to the Ottawa Senators about Mike Hoffman and Derick Brassard. It’s clear St. Louis wants to make an upgrade, as they’ve pursued various targets. They’ve also been linked to Rick Nash and Evander Kane, though their interest in both is decreasing.

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One of the major issues that could hold back this trade is the Blues cap space. They have less than $2 million of projected trade deadline cap space. This means even if the Canadiens retain half of Pacioretty’s salary, the Blues would still have to move some salary to fit him in.

St. Louis is reportedly prepared to offer one of their top two prospects, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. Potentially both, depending on what kind of salary is going to Montreal.

Expect the Blues to also offer a draft pick, perhaps even as high as a first-rounder. Patrik Berglund could be the odd man out. Dmitri Jaskin, who’s making $1 million through the end of next season, is the most likely option.

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Pacioretty would be a great fit for the Blues. He’s a consistent goal scorer and would make their top-six forward group much more deadly. Perhaps even good enough to overcome some questionable forward depth in their bottom six. But what’s best is Pacioretty is still under contract for another year after this one.

For updated NHL trade rumors, check out our Rumors page. Also, check out our NHL Trade Deadline Tracker.

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