2024-2025 Blues Trade Proposals Thread.

[Linkens Mastery]

Brady is the same flavor as Kyrou with different toppings. Skilled offensive forward who leaves a lot to be desired defensively. Brady just takes a lot more dumb penalties.

If his name wasn't Tkachuk we wouldn't be talking about him Nearly as much.

 

[BrokenFace]

It's not really fair to blame Brady for Ottawa not making the playoffs. Plenty of great players hadn't had playoff success by the time they were 25. As I said before, team success doesn't depend on one player just as one player doesn't fix a team's problems on their own.

I don't wanna get too deep into it since we've already discussed this here but the way I see it both Tkachuk and Kyrou put up similar points but one is a dominant power forward while the other is a mostly one dimensional, nonphysical player. Brady is a leader while Kyrou hasn't shown that kind of character up to this point. I feel he's more content to be a follower, albeit a very skilled one.

I wouldn't give up a ton more, but I'd give up more than most here I suspect.

I agree with you 100% except for the leadership part. When it comes to intangibles like leadership I have to look at team accomplishments, and Ottawa hasn't accomplished anything. That, combined with their contracts, leaves me uninterested. If we're trading Kyrou or Kyrou+, I want someone who has more going for him or addresses a position of need for us. I'd bet a lot on Brady looking great on a more functional team/organization then Ottawa, but I think he'd only be a marginal upgrade over Kyrou and would need a new 7 or 8 year contract that comes with a sizable rise in AAV in few years.

 

[SirPaste]

Brady is the same flavor as Kyrou with different toppings. Skilled offensive forward who leaves a lot to be desired defensively. Brady just takes a lot more dumb penalties.

If his name wasn't Tkachuk we wouldn't be talking about him Nearly as much.

Agreed with this. I like Tkachuk but I am not tripping over myself to acquire him, seems like everyone loves him here because of his name and where he was born. The thing is we need another skilled top 6 on top of Kyrou, so trading Kyrou for another one doesn't really make much sense to me. We do need to bring in another impactful forward though, preferably at center but at this point in the retool I am not sure right now is the correct time to do so.

 

[STL fan in MN]

If we were going to trade Kyrou for a Tkachuk, it should’ve been Matthew a couple years ago when Calgary was shopping him. We’ll never know for sure but I recall JR saying the Blues offer didn’t include Kyrou. My impression has always been that Army lowballed Calgary expecting to win the bidding anyway and he lost that game of chicken.

But that ship has sailed. Brady is good but not nearly as good as his brother IMO. 100% agree we wouldn’t be talking about him much at all if he didn’t have the Tkachuk/STL connection.

Might as well talk about acquiring the kid Utah just named their captain. Just as likely to happen IMO.

 

[PocketNines]

The part that never made sense is it seemingly comes from a desire to recapture the memories of Keith who was one of the most selfish players and a pure choker. Something happened to Blues fans who were born in the late 80s early 90s, they were too young when Tkachuk was on the team to have differentiation rooting it was just pure rooting.

I want to be arguing about whether we should trade Kyrou for Perron's kids, and Perron's healthy daughter Elizabeth right there amid it all

 

[Majorityof1]

Glad to see a lot of posters nailing it with the Tkachuk-Kyrou trade talk. Tkachuk is not enough better to justify the trade cost and contract length. Kyrou has improved defensively, Tkachuk has not. Neutral fans think we need to add 1st rd pick ++ to Kyrou to even it out. That is far more than the difference on ice

The trade, if it happened, would be in the off-season. Tkachuk would have 3 years left before wanting a $10m+ deal taking him into his mid 30s. Kyrou would have twice as long at his current cap

One final note, a lot of people bring up BTs PIMs to diminish his value. I did too and another poster pointed out his penalties drawn. He draws more than he takes. So while the trade-off of losing a $8M player for whoever he is pulling into the box with him is probably a loss, he isn't leaving his team short handed as often as you'd think. Just pointing that out even though it goes against my take for a more honest discussion.

 

[BleedBlue14]

I would be much more interested in trading from our futures pool (minus Dvorsky or Lindstein) for Brady than trying to swap Kyrou for him while adding.

I’d imagine I’d someone were wanting to compare it to the Matthew trade - which they shouldn’t, Matthew was a pretty complete player already - the ask would be Kyrou, Broberg and a 1st. That shouldn’t even be contemplated.

If it were something along the lines of Bolduc a 1st and another pick and possibly prospect like a Fischer or Ralph, sure that would make more sense in my eyes at least even if I don’t know if it’s in our best interest. I think the long-term signing of Buch along with the emergence of Neighbors, should put to bed any ideas we have about desperately needing a guy like Tkachuk.

 

[PocketNines]

let's not talk about trading Lukas Fischer we are going to love him as a Blue

 

[Reality Czech]

I agree with you 100% except for the leadership part. When it comes to intangibles like leadership I have to look at team accomplishments, and Ottawa hasn't accomplished anything. That, combined with their contracts, leaves me uninterested. If we're trading Kyrou or Kyrou+, I want someone who has more going for him or addresses a position of need for us. I'd bet a lot on Brady looking great on a more functional team/organization then Ottawa, but I think he'd only be a marginal upgrade over Kyrou and would need a new 7 or 8 year contract that comes with a sizable rise in AAV in few years.

Leadership alone doesn't get a team into the playoffs. Even McDavid didn't get to the playoffs until he was If the Blues were in a division with Tampa, Florida, Boston and Toronto I doubt we'd fare any better than Ottawa. I guess I'm thinking more of his competitiveness and willingness to stick up for teammates.

If we were going to trade Kyrou for a Tkachuk, it should’ve been Matthew a couple years ago when Calgary was shopping him. We’ll never know for sure but I recall JR saying the Blues offer didn’t include Kyrou. My impression has always been that Army lowballed Calgary expecting to win the bidding anyway and he lost that game of chicken.

But that ship has sailed. Brady is good but not nearly as good as his brother IMO. 100% agree we wouldn’t be talking about him much at all if he didn’t have the Tkachuk/STL connection.

Might as well talk about acquiring the kid Utah just named their captain. Just as likely to happen IMO.

I think it's more likely Brady asks out of Ottawa than Utah making Keller available any time soon, but still not terribly likely. Regarding Matthew, the bigger challenge was moving Krug and/or Tarasenko to clear enough salary. Not sure what the actual offer would have been but the covid cap would have made it extremely complicated.

 

[Brian39]

I don't wanna get too deep into it since we've already discussed this here but the way I see it both Tkachuk and Kyrou put up similar points but one is a dominant power forward while the other is a mostly one dimensional, nonphysical player.

I very much disagree that the gap between Brady and Kyrou can be accurately described using words like 'dominant' for one with 'one-dimensional' for the other. Brady might be physically dominant (I'd push back on that a bit) but I certainly would not describe his complete NHL game or him as a player overall as dominant. I think he is just as one dimensional as Kyrou. It is a completely different dimension, but his game is pretty far from complete.

Kyrou's speed is no less dominant than Tkachuk's physicality. It impacts the game in very different ways and both have large holes in the elements of the game that isn't their strengths. I don't think that Tkachuk's physicality positively impacts the game by a margin greater than Kyrou's speed. He pulls himself out of position chasing hits all the time. He's in position to intercept/interrupt passes far less than Kyrou.

Brady is a leader while Kyrou hasn't shown that kind of character up to this point. I feel he's more content to be a follower, albeit a very skilled one.

I get that Brady wears the C, but has he created a good culture in Ottawa with his leadership? Is it a sign of good leadership to get five 10 minute misconduct penalties a season? I get that a lack of team success isn't all on the leadership, but Tkachuk hasn't led the Sens to anything. That team has had major issues defending for years and he has continued to be a defensive liability. I don't think fans are particularly well suited to evaluate leadership and I think 'culture' is usually spin when discussing pro sports (good and bad). But there is a lot of talent in Ottawa's lineup and I think a lot of people would say that they have underachieved for the last few years.

All thing being equal, I'd take Brady over Kyrou. But I don't think the gap between them is all that wide and I wouldn't trade Kyrou for Brady 1 for 1 given their current contracts.

 

[Brian39]

Leadership alone doesn't get a team into the playoffs. Even McDavid didn't get to the playoffs until he was If the Blues were in a division with Tampa, Florida, Boston and Toronto I doubt we'd fare any better than Ottawa. I guess I'm thinking more of his competitiveness and willingness to stick up for teammates.

Ottawa also finished behind Detroit and Buffalo last season. 78 points compared to our 92. And it isn't like Dallas, Winnipeg, Colorado and Nashville were pushovers at the top of the Central. Each of them had more points than their standings finish counterpart in the Atlantic. Even if you cite strength of schedule to say the Atlantic was the tougher division, it wasn't so much tougher that it accounted for 14 standings points.

They were 5 points up on us in 2022/23, but we both finished 6th in our respective divisions (they were behind Buffalo again).

In 2021/22 we made the playoffs (and 2nd round) while they finished 7th in the Atlantic with 73 points.

I really, really don't buy an argument that our results would have plummeted below what Ottawa has been doing if we swapped divisions. I agree with you that leadership can't just will a team to the playoffs, but I don't buy that the division is even most of Ottawa's problems. I don't think they'd have been good enough to make the playoffs in at least 3 of the 4 divisions every year. That team has major issues beyond simply being stuck in a good division.

 

[Frenzy31]

I think Ottawa and St. Louis are in the same situation. Both are expected to make a push for the playoffs. I think Ottawa has underperformed more than St. Louis over the past two years. But I can't see why they would trade Brady for JK, in the same way I can't see why I would trade JK for Brady. I think both teams would like to add the other's winger, but not 1:1.

 

[BleedBlue14]

I think Ottawa and St. Louis are in the same situation. Both are expected to make a push for the playoffs. I think Ottawa has underperformed more than St. Louis over the past two years. But I can't see why they would trade Brady for JK, in the same way I can't see why I would trade JK for Brady. I think both teams would like to add the other's winger, but not 1:1.

I think a lot of posters who dislike Kyrou are wanting to move him prior to his NTC kicking in. I think the general belief is that Brady may want out of Ottawa sooner rather than later. I think that's where it could potentially make sense that both teams if they shared the same viewpoints would entertain a 1:1. Practically though, yes, it would make sense for both teams to add a top 6 forward versus moving their guy for the other.

However, I think Ottawa really runs a risk with Brady once this contract is up of him walking if the team cannot start consistently winning games. That's 4 years down the road though, it's feasible that with their struggles if they continue, they choose him specifically to try and make an organization altering change to switch up their team to try and get out of the bottoms.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

Brady is the same flavor as Kyrou with different toppings. Skilled offensive forward who leaves a lot to be desired defensively. Brady just takes a lot more dumb penalties.

If his name wasn't Tkachuk we wouldn't be talking about him Nearly as much.

The people who want to trade for Brady don’t understand how true this is.

If the Blues want a player that’s better defensively than Kyrou, then trading for Tkachuk wouldn’t be on their list of choices if they did any research past his name.

 

[Mohko]

There has been noise around Rantanen wanting 'Kinnon money. There was a consensus that they would have him signed by the start of the season. Yet here we are and the time is running down.

Should he hit FA, were you to offer him the bag? Given we have the space for him.

He has been 2C at times on Avs when they had a couple of injuries among centers. He is a superstar what Blues do lack.

At 28-years-old a 7y deal would take him to 35y. Blues wouldn't have to use the draft capital for the acquisition, and rather use the capital for sweeteners on dumping cap away.

 

[Reality Czech]

I very much disagree that the gap between Brady and Kyrou can be accurately described using words like 'dominant' for one with 'one-dimensional' for the other. Brady might be physically dominant (I'd push back on that a bit) but I certainly would not describe his complete NHL game or him as a player overall as dominant. I think he is just as one dimensional as Kyrou. It is a completely different dimension, but his game is pretty far from complete.

Kyrou's speed is no less dominant than Tkachuk's physicality. It impacts the game in very different ways and both have large holes in the elements of the game that isn't their strengths. I don't think that Tkachuk's physicality positively impacts the game by a margin greater than Kyrou's speed. He pulls himself out of position chasing hits all the time. He's in position to intercept/interrupt passes far less than Kyrou.



I get that Brady wears the C, but has he created a good culture in Ottawa with his leadership? Is it a sign of good leadership to get five 10 minute misconduct penalties a season? I get that a lack of team success isn't all on the leadership, but Tkachuk hasn't led the Sens to anything. That team has had major issues defending for years and he has continued to be a defensive liability. I don't think fans are particularly well suited to evaluate leadership and I think 'culture' is usually spin when discussing pro sports (good and bad). But there is a lot of talent in Ottawa's lineup and I think a lot of people would say that they have underachieved for the last few years.

All thing being equal, I'd take Brady over Kyrou. But I don't think the gap between them is all that wide and I wouldn't trade Kyrou for Brady 1 for 1 given their current contracts.

I don't really wanna get into an argument over this because every one is entitled to their own opinion, but I will say that not all dimensions are equal. Lots of players are fast, but it doesn't always translate to success. And if Brady isn't a dominant player, then who is? He's close to a PPG guy who can bully almost anyone in the league physically. How many other players can you say that about? He was also 3rd in the league in hits and 4th in SOG all while scoring 37g 37a and a +1 on a poor defensive team. Sounds pretty dominant to me. Kyrou's strength is offense, but Tkachuk is probably even better offensively while bringing much more to the table in other areas.

I'd say Brady's a better bet to score 50 someday than Kyrou, who is still extremely streaky and goes through stretches where he doesn't score much. When Kyrou isn't scoring, he doesn't bring much to the table, which can't be said about Brady. Sure he might need to work on his discipline, but I bet teammates love going to battle with that guy.

Ottawa's struggles mostly have to do with crappy defense and goaltending, neither of which Brady can be blamed for. I would argue that their division has been tougher than ours lately with 4 legit contenders within the division, and it's also true that teams kind of mail it in once it's clear they're not making the playoffs. In any case, the fact that he was chosen as captain at the age of 22 tells me that management values his character. We would be fortunate to land a player of his caliber and I hope it happens someday.

 

[Memento]

There's no way I trade Jordan Kyrou ++ (which would have to happen; Ottawa could - and should - demand a haul for their captain, not just Kyrou alone) for Brady Tkachuk. If not for the name, nobody here would be this adamant about trading for him. Like others have said, Tkachuk is also bad defensively, despite hitting everything and getting bone-headed penalties.

I think we're spoiled by physical players. Kyrou may not be that physical player, but thus far, he's been contributing even without the puck, and the speed he has is rare.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I don't really wanna get into an argument over this because every one is entitled to their own opinion, but I will say that not all dimensions are equal. Lots of players are fast, but it doesn't always translate to success. And if Brady isn't a dominant player, then who is? He's close to a PPG guy who can bully almost anyone in the league physically. How many other players can you say that about? He was also 3rd in the league in hits and 4th in SOG all while scoring 37g 37a and a +1 on a poor defensive team. Sounds pretty dominant to me. Kyrou's strength is offense, but Tkachuk is probably even better offensively while bringing much more to the table in other areas.

I'd say Brady's a better bet to score 50 someday than Kyrou, who is still extremely streaky and goes through stretches where he doesn't score much. When Kyrou isn't scoring, he doesn't bring much to the table, which can't be said about Brady. Sure he might need to work on his discipline, but I bet teammates love going to battle with that guy.

Ottawa's struggles mostly have to do with crappy defense and goaltending, neither of which Brady can be blamed for. I would argue that their division has been tougher than ours lately with 4 legit contenders within the division, and it's also true that teams kind of mail it in once it's clear they're not making the playoffs. In any case, the fact that he was chosen as captain at the age of 22 tells me that management values his character. We would be fortunate to land a player of his caliber and I hope it happens someday.

I love Brady, but Kyrou's element is something that we don't have elsewhere. We have other guys (Neighbours and Holloway in particular) who can bring more of what Brady does, albeit not as well. I'd gladly trade something like Saad, Snuggy, and Buchinger or whatever for him, but I don't think Kyrou for Brady puts us enough closer to contender that it's worth the contract downgrade.

 

[Reality Czech]

The people who want to trade for Brady don’t understand how true this is.

If the Blues want a player that’s better defensively than Kyrou, then trading for Tkachuk wouldn’t be on their list of choices if they did any research past his name.

Absurd, everyone knows what a badass Brady Tkachuk is. It's not just Blues fans talking about him. Ask any analyst to rank the top wingers in the NHL and Brady is in everyone's top 15-20 if not higher. Kyrou would be lower on the list.

You don't need your top scoring winner to be elite defensively. See Brett Hull. They just need to be good enough.

Not sure what people are getting out of downplaying how good Tkachuk is.

 

[SirPaste]

There has been noise around Rantanen wanting 'Kinnon money. There was a consensus that they would have him signed by the start of the season. Yet here we are and the time is running down.

Should he hit FA, were you to offer him the bag? Given we have the space for him.

He has been 2C at times on Avs when they had a couple of injuries among centers. He is a superstar what Blues do lack.

At 28-years-old a 7y deal would take him to 35y. Blues wouldn't have to use the draft capital for the acquisition, and rather use the capital for sweeteners on dumping cap away.

That is interesting, I have always loved Rantanen's game and would love to have him. It really all depends on how much it would take and what our team is looking like next offseason. Ideally, I would rather spend that money on a #1D or a C but I would certainly entertain the idea.

 

[SirPaste]

Absurd, everyone knows what a badass Brady Tkachuk is. It's not just Blues fans talking about him. Ask any analyst to rank the top wingers in the NHL and Brady is in everyone's top 15-20 if not higher. Kyrou would be lower on the list.

You don't need your top scoring winner to be elite defensively. See Brett Hull. They just need to be good enough.

Not sure what people are getting out of downplaying how good Tkachuk is.

Just out of curiosity, what else other than toughness/physicality is it that you think Tkachuk brings more than Kyrou? I have already mentioned I like Tkachuk I just don't see him as much of an upgrade over what we already have in Kyrou, different styles sure but all in all pretty similar offensively and defensively.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

Absurd, everyone knows what a badass Brady Tkachuk is. It's not just Blues fans talking about him. Ask any analyst to rank the top wingers in the NHL and Brady is in everyone's top 15-20 if not higher. Kyrou would be lower on the list.

You don't need your top scoring winner to be elite defensively. See Brett Hull. They just need to be good enough.

Not sure what people are getting out of downplaying how good Tkachuk is.

Neat.

He still is only a marginal upgrade, if that. He doesn’t address any need the Blues have. He has an unfavorable contract situation that would put the Blues in an awkward position once the Blues are in their swing to compete.

Not sure what you’re getting out of continuing this silly one-man parade.

 

[BleedBlue14]

I don't really wanna get into an argument over this because every one is entitled to their own opinion, but I will say that not all dimensions are equal. Lots of players are fast, but it doesn't always translate to success. And if Brady isn't a dominant player, then who is? He's close to a PPG guy who can bully almost anyone in the league physically. How many other players can you say that about? He was also 3rd in the league in hits and 4th in SOG all while scoring 37g 37a and a +1 on a poor defensive team. Sounds pretty dominant to me. Kyrou's strength is offense, but Tkachuk is probably even better offensively while bringing much more to the table in other areas.

I'd say Brady's a better bet to score 50 someday than Kyrou, who is still extremely streaky and goes through stretches where he doesn't score much. When Kyrou isn't scoring, he doesn't bring much to the table, which can't be said about Brady. Sure he might need to work on his discipline, but I bet teammates love going to battle with that guy.

Ottawa's struggles mostly have to do with crappy defense and goaltending, neither of which Brady can be blamed for. I would argue that their division has been tougher than ours lately with 4 legit contenders within the division, and it's also true that teams kind of mail it in once it's clear they're not making the playoffs. In any case, the fact that he was chosen as captain at the age of 22 tells me that management values his character. We would be fortunate to land a player of his caliber and I hope it happens someday.

I bolded and underlined one part, and that I agree with that I'd bet going into battle in that facet Brady is a better option.

I also underlined another part because it's something Brian touched on earlier. Ottawa's defensive/goaltending struggles are not purely to blame on their defense and goalies. If you watch alot of the Senators breakdowns (I'll pinpoint Brady because this is where I focused when I did this exercise last year when this was a topic) their forwards are all over the place. There is no structure at all, maybe it's changed this year under new coaching, I haven't gotten to catch a game this year. But I specifically remember watching a highlight video of goals against in one game and 3 of them Brady specifically was all over the place, it was a discombobulated mess.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I bolded and underlined one part, and that I agree with that I'd bet going into battle in that facet Brady is a better option.

I also underlined another part because it's something Brian touched on earlier. Ottawa's defensive/goaltending struggles are not purely to blame on their defense and goalies. If you watch alot of the Senators breakdowns (I'll pinpoint Brady because this is where I focused when I did this exercise last year when this was a topic) their forwards are all over the place. There is no structure at all, maybe it's changed this year under new coaching, I haven't gotten to catch a game this year. But I specifically remember watching a highlight video of goals against in one game and 3 of them Brady specifically was all over the place, it was a discombobulated mess.

I want to go on tangent here from good point you make. EF asked an interesting question last week on his pod- would you rather have Ottawa roster or Boston's? Sens arguably have more talent, and have since at least Bergeron and Krecji retired, but Boston has sustained winning culture. They play with structure and effort that you just don't see out of bottom teams. Sens have been a mess for years. Swapping out Brady ain't gonna change that.

And while it's still too early to see whether it will work, I think this is what DA has been trying to sustain here in refusing to do full teardown rebuild.

 

[Reality Czech]

Just out of curiosity, what else other than toughness/physicality is it that you think Tkachuk brings more than Kyrou? I have already mentioned I like Tkachuk I just don't see him as much of an upgrade over what we already have in Kyrou, different styles sure but all in all pretty similar offensively and defensively.

Tkachuk has 19 more points than Kyrou over the past three years while playing 1 more game, so I'd argue he's actually better offensively than Kyrou although stylistically different. I'm not convinced that Kyrou will ever be the top star on his team at any point in his career while Brady arguably already is. And he hit the ground running as an 18 year old, which few players can do. I think he's the kind of player who wants to be a leader and put the team on his back whereas I don't get that sense from Kyrou at all.

I said it before but 3rd in the league in hits and 4th in shots. That's nothing to scoff at. He's gonna make an impact somehow pretty much every game, while Kyrou tends to disappear at times and scores in bunches. I'd prefer the power forward who can get to the dirty areas rather than the perimeter sniper, but that's just me.

Neat.

He still is only a marginal upgrade, if that. He doesn’t address any need the Blues have. He has an unfavorable contract situation that would put the Blues in an awkward position once the Blues are in their swing to compete.

Not sure what you’re getting out of continuing this silly one-man parade.

What's silly is everyone acting like Tkachuk vs. Kyrou is an even close comparison. And I thought I was considered the homer around here lol. If we can upgrade a position, we should consider doing it if the price is manageable.