NHL Trade Rumors: 3 players the St. Louis Blues should move

The latest NHL trade rumors suggest the St. Louis Blues are open to trading just about anyone. Here are three players they should consider trading if they really want to shake up their roster. 

To say the St. Louis Blues have underachieved would be a significant understatement. They entered this season with high hopes after an uncharacteristically busy offseason. However, an early slump led to the firing of head coach Mike Yeo. The Blues have gone 1-2-0 under interim head coach Craig Berube. As they say, if firing the coach doesn’t work, it’s time to start changing the roster. Which means the Blues could easily become a team to watch in NHL trade rumors.

The Blues are in a bit of an interesting position should they elect to be sellers. And, according to Elliotte Friedman’s most recent 31 Thoughts column, they are open for business. There are, at most, three rental players, or guys with nothing left on their deal after this season, teams would want – forward Pat Maroon, defenseman Carl Gunnerson, and goaltender Chad Johnson.

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Even then, the Blues are getting much for any of those guys unless they manage to sell high on Maroon. But, considering he has just eight points in 16 games, that’s easier said than done.

The Blues could also consider moving one of their multiple upcoming RFAs, but much like their upcoming UFAs, the list isn’t impressive once you get past defenseman Joel Edmundson.

So if the Blues want to make moves that are going to get an impactful return, they’ll have to do trade someone with term left. Who could they look to move? Which veterans could be leaving St. Louis?

If the Blues play their cards right, they could get a huge jumpstart on a rebuild, much like the New York Rangers were able to do last season.

Before we begin, let’s take a look at the untouchables.

Pat Maroon

As stated earlier, moving Maroon makes sense. He’s a quality forward and he’ll be a rental. Maroon isn’t a fast forward, but he’s a strong one and he has a knack for scoring goals. Over the past two seasons, he has 44 goals. Not half bad from a top-nine forward.

The issue is, Maroon’s not scoring right now. He only has one goal through 16 games. Maroon does, however, have seven assists, which shows he can be a productive player even if he’s not scoring goals.

Teams always look for guys like him right around the trade deadline. So it shouldn’t be shocking Maroon has twice been traded at the trade deadline. Last season, he helped the New Jersey Devils make the postseason, putting up 13 points in 17 games with them after being acquired from the Edmonton Oilers.

Potential suitors: The best thing about Maroon is a lot of teams could use a guy like him. He’d fit in nicely with the Vegas Golden Knights, though they already have a pretty solid core of wings. If the Montreal Canadiens are buyers, Maroon has the skillset they tend to covet. The Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, and Calgary Flames could all make sense too. He’s more of a Western Conference player than an Eastern Conference type, though.

Brayden Schenn

The St. Louis Blues gave up a lot to get Brayden Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2017 NHL Draft. He proved why in his first season in the midwest, as he flourished by setting career highs with 28 goals, 42 assists, and 70 points. This season, Schenn has 13 points through 18 games, though it’s worth noting the Blues are struggling in general, so that would explain his drop in production.

Schenn has one year left on his deal after this season, so he’s more than just a rental. If the Blues want some idea of what they could expect in a return, take a look at what the Arizona Coyotes got for Keith Yandle. A first-round pick, a second-round pick, a top prospect, and an NHL player. They probably wouldn’t get the second-round pick, but the first-round pick would certainly be in play. If the Blues retain salary, they could easily get a top prospect as well.

Potential suitors: The Boston Bruins would make a ton of sense. They’re looking to improve their core of forwards and Schenn would give them a guy who can be effective either at center or at wing. The San Jose Sharks would make sense as well, as they could use another scoring center.

Alex Pietrangelo

Trading the captain would be the ultimate sign of a rebuild for the St. Louis Blues. It would admittedly be a very difficult thing to do. But if the Blues can get a similar package for Alex Pietrangelo as the one the New York Rangers got for Ryan McDonagh from the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Blues should do it.

The captain has 10 points in 22 games this season. His 0.45 points per game rate (as of Nov. 28) is the lowest of any full season in his career. However, Pietrangelo’s reputation is that he’s one of the best defensemen in the NHL. So “selling low” won’t really be a thing with him. Also, Pietrangelo has an additional year left on his contract. A team who needs defense, such as perhaps the Toronto Maple Leafs, could have him for two Stanley Cup Playoff runs.

Potential suitors: As mentioned, the Leafs make sense because they need defense. But how much would Toronto be willing to give up? The Pittsburgh Penguins are never shy from making bold moves, but again, it’s questionable how much they would be willing to give up. Or what they could give up, for that matter.

The Vegas Golden Knights are a team to keep an eye on as well. As talented as they are, they lack a true top defenseman. Nate Schmidt is closer to a number two than a number one. Pietrangelo, even while struggling, is darn close to being a number one.