According to the latest NHL trade rumors, the St. Louis Blues could be interested in acquiring New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider.
The St. Louis Blues are trying to defend their Stanley Cup. However, that’s a very difficult thing to do, so they’ve been aggressive in trying to fix any issues. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, they’re likely going to try to add a forward after Vladimir Tarasenko‘s injury, which should keep him out until March. Various sources have linked the Blues to New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider.
Elliotte Friedman noted in his latest 31 Thoughts column that “he’d be perfect for them”. Additionally, Tom Timmerman from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Kreider would be a logical target for St. Louis.
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While there hasn’t been any official interest between the two parties, Kreider would make a lot of sense for the Blues. His playing style fits in perfectly with how they like to play. Kreider is a big forward who isn’t afraid to get to the net and can be physical. Tarasenko’s a very hard guy to replace, but Kreider could give them a boost.
However, there are some factors to consider. The biggest one is how long Tarasenko will be out. Currently, he’s on the long-term injured reserve list, which means his salary cap hit doesn’t count against the cap ceiling. However, once Tarasenko returns, it will count. The Blues are very close to the cap ceiling right now, so expect them to bank a bit of cap space before making any moves.
Another thing to consider is what kind of price St. Louis would be willing to pay for Kreider. They have their own first-round pick in 2020, which will most likely be the starting point of any discussions. Rental players like Kreider, such as Rick Nash, Kevin Hayes, and Evander Kane have each commanded first-round picks in recent years.
This leads to another question – which prospects would be on the table for the Blues? It would probably take a pretty solid prospect to pry Kreider loose from the Rangers, especially since numerous teams will likely be interested in him. St. Louis traded away one of their better trade chips in Dominik Bokk in the Faulk trade.
Traditionally, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong has been pretty conservative at the trade deadline. If anything, he tends to lean towards being a seller, as he has picked up first-round picks for Paul Stastny and Kevin Shattenkirk in recent years.
When Armstrong has traded away first-round picks, it has usually been for players with some term on their deal, such as Ryan O’Reilly and Brayden Schenn. He gave up a first-round pick for Ryan Miller back in 2014, but he appears to be the exception, not the rule.
It will be interesting to see what St. Louis does at the trade deadline. Most likely, it will depend heavily on how Tarasenko’s recovery is progressing. Keep in mind they could take a book from the Chicago Blackhawks’ playbook. Back in 2015, Patrick Kane got injured. They kept him on the LTIR through the end of the season, which allowed them to acquire Antoine Vermette at the trade deadline.