The St. Louis Blues traded Robert Bortuzzo to the New York Islanders in exchange for a seventh-round pick. The selection will be made by the St. Louis Blues (unless traded away) in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Bortuzzo was acquired by the Blues in 2015. The trade worked out for them as he was a part of a Stanley Cup champion defense in 2019.
He has played with the Blues for ten seasons now which makes him the 16th player in franchise history to be on the team for ten years. It was a great run for him. With them, he scored 16 goals and had 38 assists for 54 points. He also had 320 penalty minutes while wearing the Blue Note.
Including the year that the Blues won the Cup, Bortuzzo played in 47 playoff games with them and had three points (two goals and one assist). In those games, he had 42 total penalty minutes.
The St. Louis Blues have had some great years with Robert Bortuzzo
He has only played in four games this season where he has acquired zero points. He will now move on to the Islanders as he hopes to get some more ice time again.
He is 34 years old so you'd think there is plenty of more hockey left in him before he hangs them up. He doesn't even make a million against the salary cap and he is a UFA at the end of this season.
It will be interesting to see if he plays himself into another NHL contract. The Islanders play a system that is usually good for a player like him.
As for the Blues, they will certainly miss him. It is never fun to see a part of the championship core leave but it is the nature of the game.
Both the Islanders and Blues are bubble teams in their respective conferences right now. The Blues' chances of making it won't be impacted by this trade but time will tell if the Islanders benefit from it.