2024-2025 Blues Trade Proposals Thread.

[Majorityof1]

Saad, Bolduc, 1st for Marchand and Frederic?

There are a few players in the league about whom people say "Other fans hate them, their team's fans love them" or something like that. That's never been the case for me. If I hate a player, I hate that player even more if they are on my team. I hate my team a bit because of it. Marchand is one of those players. I would question my dedication to the Blues if they traded for him. I'd be pissed if the Blues got Marchand (50% retained) + Boston's 1st for future considerations. I don't know what he's like off the ice, but he is scum on the ice. I want nothing to do with him on the Blues.

That said, why are the Blues giving up futures for a guy who will not re-sign here?

 

[Reality Czech]

Your first q is my presumption of why the thing happened. Avs would have had a hard time with the team cap and so they had to move him. He wasn’t getting his 13-14 mil from them. The system punishes greatness. A possible fix for this is a franchise tag whereby a top talent on a team wouldn’t necessarily take the full severe cap hit.

If the Avs were fortunate to have a few teams willing to pay to negotiate with Rantanen, so the deal was for a signed Rantanen, then the value changes and the Avs get way more. They aren’t going to let teams through the door without making that a premium choice. Nobody would get to talk to pending ufa Rantanen without meeting a high bar with Colorado. It’s up to Colorado to make that market or not. These things occur over many months or even years. It usually isn’t a snap decision (Vancouver is weird).

As far as winger pay: it’s solely based on the last wingers paid. Gary Betman’s system is primarily precedent driven. These groups have seemingly found the ways to agree on the metrics of player production; so if Rantanen and draisaitl are very similar in output and circumstance then they’ll likely be similar in compensation. The teams pretty much have to take it or leave it, so long as the agent believes there is somebody who will take it.

I would agree with that. This is as much about the team's situation as the player himself. I get the sense that MacKinnon's mindset is very much like Crosby in that he may have taken a bit less for the good of the team. We'll see if Makar is the same, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is. If Rantanen wants to demand Draisaitl money, that presents an awkward situation where your third most important player is earning $1-2 million more than your captain and team leader.

Also, the Avs were no doubt limited by the number of teams that could realistically pull off this move in terms of assets and enough talent to trade back. I'm not sure they would have got a better offer from anyone else.

 

[Xerloris]

This season I’ve had my little trade spider sense go off twice:

For Eller and Rantanen/Necas.

Both took less than 10 days from the itch to the trade.

Would guess that behind the scenes we made offers on both and maybe even set the market for Eller, just other team met the price, then choices. I wish we could learn about the failed offers.

With Rantanen/Necas resolved…I think the next big name is Marchand and I don’t think they’ll wait to the eleventh hour if he’s moved. I think it’s likely the buyer and the bruins would want to avoid the deadline for a guy like him and he could move before the resumption of play after 4 nations.

People may think it’s a bit much to trade a guy like that when the east is so wide open but we’ve seen the blues let captains walk/trade them near the end to recoup assets for the future. It’s sometimes the prudent thing to do even though it sucks and the bruins have had a whole lot of guys retire like Bergeron, krejci. They had the window to sign Brad. I think it’s a lot like the Rantanen situation. Team pushed to make a decision so they do. I don’t think we’d be involved? Never know…does Saad + B+ prospect + pick work to have Marchand with Thomas on the first line for a few years while we develop internally? Marchand is probably a guy you want young skaters to learn from and his potential hall of fame career is largely on top a foundation of work ethic. If we’re going to try Snuggerud (entry level contract aav) and potentially Dvorsky (same) then we have the space to throw a handful of millions at Brad for a few years. Maybe could even toss in somebody like Toropchenko/Texier and get Frederic too. Really makes sense that Boston would ask for Bolduc.

Saad, Bolduc, 1st for Marchand and Frederic?

I don't think we made an offer at all for Rantanen. We already knew what he wanted price wise and that's not something Armstrong will spend assets on. As for Marchand and Frederic? That seems super cheap or do they both suck super bad now?

 

[BleedBlue14]

I don't think we made an offer at all for Rantanen. We already knew what he wanted price wise and that's not something Armstrong will spend assets on. As for Marchand and Frederic? That seems super cheap or do they both suck super bad now?

Well Frederic is having a worse statistical season than Saad. His redeeming trait is he’s physical. But still, see no reason to acquire him if we’re considering flat dumping Saad.

Marchand a little cooked as the kids would say. But he’d still be a great pickup. Not sure I want to pay a 1st and Bolduc for him. But I could very easily see a team moving a 2nd and a decent prospect to bring him in to a second line to strengthen a top 6 and add veteran leadership and presence. I would be happy if the Blues did, but I don’t think we need to go moving our 1st for a guy over 35

 

[StlBigFly]

I don't think we made an offer at all for Rantanen. We already knew what he wanted price wise and that's not something Armstrong will spend assets on. As for Marchand and Frederic? That seems super cheap or do they both suck super bad now?

I don’t watch the bruins even a little. I would suggest that we do have the best opinion possible inside the group: Monty’s opinion would be such a valuable thing when looking at Boston to trade. I trust if we do something it’s with the best knowledge possible. I also wouldn’t guess that we were bostons best trading partner.

Just thinking about what the other teams could offer.

I think Dallas, Vegas, and Utah will do something, the jets maybe.

Well, I think Utah should do something but maybe they should do it during the offseason. The stars and knights i think will add from now until trade deadline.

Chevy in Winnipeg is difficult to predict and sneaky, has Ehlers to move so a deal could possibly be a great option for Boston: so long as Ehlers would want to be in Boston and Boston wanting him in the group. I think that fits. Marchand would be awesome on the jets, so maybe this is bostons best return. I don’t see a good winger another team would be willing to send back. I think it has to be convenient; such as Ehlers being a pending ufa and potentially Boston being interested in signing him. Or, in our case, they’d have Saad for a second year.

The islanders will probably be the main course for one of the above. I think there’s a chance the Vancouver stuff resolves with a team in our conference, so that could satisfy another one. The penguins and flyers both have guys other teams can pick through. There really aren’t many buyers out there who have the assets to beat us if we can meet the other criteria of a deal.

I think my recency bias of watching Pavelski with dallas leads me to guess Marchand is a star. But then you look at what they have and what they are…who would they be willing to part with? I don’t see it. I don’t see how they cram him in and I don’t think they should give somebody away and let him take their spot.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

If Marchand is moved it will be to a playoff contender. Zero chance he comes here. DA has reiterated multiple times, if he's giving up major pieces (1sts or good prospects) he's looking in the "26 or 27 years or younger" range of players.

 

[StlBigFly]

If Marchand is moved it will be to a playoff contender. Zero chance he comes here. DA has reiterated multiple times, if he's giving up major pieces (1sts or good prospects) he's looking in the "26 or 27 years or younger" range of players.

I agree 100%

I’d give Marchand + Frederic for Saad + Bolduc + futures a 3/10 on the scale of likelihood on the basis that we have the depth chart need and cap structure to support the deal, down graded heavily due to it being a rough fit, but a bit of wildcard since we have their coach on our team. Maybe somebody in Boston is “Monty’s Guy”, and also about to be a free agent. If Boston thinks it’s going to happen a certain way maybe they maximize their return. I’m sure they would have liked something from stl for Monty. If they believe we’re just gonna sign Frederic, which is an age fit, I’m sure they’d be okay taking a bit of value from us now versus us waiting 7 months and losing a fresh 27 year old for nothing. Likewise in this hypothetical: we don’t have to pay anything if he will just sign here, so maybe we’d pay a little to expedite things, but we certainly wouldn’t pay a lot. As soon as the price gets painful we can just wait until July 1.

We’re just wasting time putting Saad in different slots. We should find the path forward where we know where wingers belong in our depth chart, even if one of them is 38 years old. If it were up to me, I’d rather be experimenting with Frederic in our lineup than Saad. Seems like he does more things that we like.

The other thing about Frederic is that he previously used arb and the rfa process to land as a ufa the first opportunity he could. That indicates to me he’s probably a goner, for whatever reason; an indication from the skater that he’s going to use the ufa leverage somehow in his favor. Maybe he has no desire to play here and maybe we have no desire to sign him, but I’d only believe that if I heard it from them.

 

[sfvega]

I had interest in Frederic years ago but seems like a middling move at this point. We need a distributor in the middle 6, and that's not Frederic's bag. As for Marchand, I hate his guts. But also, why are we paying Bolduc and a 1st for a winger? We have wingers. We have pro wingers, we have prospect wingers, we have guys on the cusp. And we're currently out of a playoff spot. What are we giving up premium assets for? To shore up positions on our team that aren't our biggest issue? Because Frederic is from here?

 

[BleedBlue14]

I had interest in Frederic years ago but seems like a middling move at this point. We need a distributor in the middle 6, and that's not Frederic's bag. As for Marchand, I hate his guts. But also, why are we paying Bolduc and a 1st for a winger? We have wingers. We have pro wingers, we have prospect wingers, we have guys on the cusp. And we're currently out of a playoff spot. What are we giving up premium assets for? To shore up positions on our team that aren't our biggest issue? Because Frederic is from here?

We currently lack a winger for this season. Preferably to help elevate Buch and Thomas.

 

[StlBigFly]

I had interest in Frederic years ago but seems like a middling move at this point. We need a distributor in the middle 6, and that's not Frederic's bag. As for Marchand, I hate his guts. But also, why are we paying Bolduc and a 1st for a winger? We have wingers. We have pro wingers, we have prospect wingers, we have guys on the cusp. And we're currently out of a playoff spot. What are we giving up premium assets for? To shore up positions on our team that aren't our biggest issue? Because Frederic is from here?

I don’t think Frederic in some just for him deal would cost premium assets as all. I don’t think we need to pursue him or must, or even should sign this offseason. It just seems like it could be a thing. It wouldn’t surprise me.

I think the way I think about these things is that I find the guys I think are extremely likely to be traded then I see if I can fit them being traded onto my team from the circumstances bc I’m a selfish biased fan. I like to try to guess what it could cost to get a guy so later when they’re traded I can decide if my little fake internet offer was better or close.

 

[Majorityof1]

We currently lack a winger for this season. Preferably to help elevate Buch and Thomas.

I disagree. Sunqvist is far and away the weakest player in our top 14. He is playing every night because we don't have enough C. We need a 3C now, and we need one in the future so we can bring Dvorsky up slow, and eventually shift Schenn off C as he ages. Its easier to shift a C to wing than a wing to C. What happens if Thomas or Schenn get hurt this year? Back to Buch at C?

As for needing a middle 6 wing to elevate our $8M players? We are screwed if Frederic is needed to elevate them. They should be elevating others. Get a C to make our 3rd line useful. Then tell Thomas and Buch to figure it the f*** out. They need to elevate Neighbours or Bolduc or Saad.

 

[BleedBlue14]

I disagree. Sunqvist is far and away the weakest player in our top 14. He is playing every night because we don't have enough C. We need a 3C now, and we need one in the future so we can bring Dvorsky up slow, and eventually shift Schenn off C as he ages. Its easier to shift a C to wing than a wing to C. What happens if Thomas or Schenn get hurt this year? Back to Buch at C?

As for needing a middle 6 wing to elevate our $8M players? We are screwed if Frederic is needed to elevate them. They should be elevating others. Get a C to make our 3rd line useful. Then tell Thomas and Buch to figure it the f*** out. They need to elevate Neighbours or Bolduc or Saad.

I don’t disagree that 3C is a major issue. But we also lack a top 6 winger this season. There’s a good chance we have the solution internally though.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Maybe a Braden Saad 50% retained for Luca Del Bel Belluz deal may work. Columbus is looking for a vet forward. Give us a 3rd line center prospect. Hes kind of flown under the radar and filled in admirably for Monahan. They have plenty of centers in their system.

 

[PeoriaBlues309]

There are a few players in the league about whom people say "Other fans hate them, their team's fans love them" or something like that. That's never been the case for me. If I hate a player, I hate that player even more if they are on my team. I hate my team a bit because of it. Marchand is one of those players. I would question my dedication to the Blues if they traded for him. I'd be pissed if the Blues got Marchand (50% retained) + Boston's 1st for future considerations. I don't know what he's like off the ice, but he is scum on the ice. I want nothing to do with him on the Blues.

That said, why are the Blues giving up futures for a guy who will not re-sign here?

Questioning your dedication to the Blues seems to be a bit much.

Marchand over the past 5ish years hasn’t been NEARLY the dirty player he used to be. Once he became a truly elite player, he toned down on the BS antics he used to pull. Is he still a pest? Sure. But there are plenty of players who are worse than him at this point. I used to despise him too, but I’ve hit a big 180 on him.

He is by all accounts a very good person, he’s absolutely hilarious(his interviews on TNT are top notch), and the way he went after the “reporter” a few weeks ago who tried to start a BS rumor about him and Pasta was something that a great leader does. He seemingly learned a lot from Bergeron before he retired.

I don’t see us getting him, or him leaving Boston, but he would be great for our locker room, and team in general.

 

[Majorityof1]

Questioning your dedication to the Blues seems to be a bit much.

Marchand over the past 5ish years hasn’t been NEARLY the dirty player he used to be. Once he became a truly elite player, he toned down on the BS antics he used to pull. Is he still a pest? Sure. But there are plenty of players who are worse than him at this point. I used to despise him too, but I’ve hit a big 180 on him.

He is by all accounts a very good person, he’s absolutely hilarious(his interviews on TNT are top notch), and the way he went after the “reporter” a few weeks ago who tried to start a BS rumor about him and Pasta was something that a great leader does. He seemingly learned a lot from Bergeron before he retired.

I don’t see us getting him, or him leaving Boston, but he would be great for our locker room, and team in general.

Not nearly as dirty = still dirty. This isn't a thing where you can tell me he saves puppies in the off-season and I'll be like, "Oh he seems so sweet now" andI change my mind. He licked someone's face intentionally during a hockey game....twice. He's a man baby and he has tried to injure others multiple times. I don't care about him doing funny skits. Elon Musk was on SNL. I don't care about him going after reporters who spread false rumors about HIM. How is that leadership?

To each their own. You can love Marchand and think he's great. I'll never root for him no matter the crest he wears.

 

[Majorityof1]

Questioning your dedication to the Blues seems to be a bit much.

Marchand over the past 5ish years hasn’t been NEARLY the dirty player he used to be. Once he became a truly elite player, he toned down on the BS antics he used to pull. Is he still a pest? Sure. But there are plenty of players who are worse than him at this point. I used to despise him too, but I’ve hit a big 180 on him.

He is by all accounts a very good person, he’s absolutely hilarious(his interviews on TNT are top notch), and the way he went after the “reporter” a few weeks ago who tried to start a BS rumor about him and Pasta was something that a great leader does. He seemingly learned a lot from Bergeron before he retired.

I don’t see us getting him, or him leaving Boston, but he would be great for our locker room, and team in general.

Yep, seems like a stand-up dude. Randomly going up and grabbing opposing players by the neck. This is from 2 days ago, not 5 years.

 

[TheDizee]

i dont want marchand, hes old.

 

[Reality Czech]

Questioning your dedication to the Blues seems to be a bit much.

Marchand over the past 5ish years hasn’t been NEARLY the dirty player he used to be. Once he became a truly elite player, he toned down on the BS antics he used to pull. Is he still a pest? Sure. But there are plenty of players who are worse than him at this point. I used to despise him too, but I’ve hit a big 180 on him.

He is by all accounts a very good person, he’s absolutely hilarious(his interviews on TNT are top notch), and the way he went after the “reporter” a few weeks ago who tried to start a BS rumor about him and Pasta was something that a great leader does. He seemingly learned a lot from Bergeron before he retired.

I don’t see us getting him, or him leaving Boston, but he would be great for our locker room, and team in general.

I agree. I'm a fan of Marchand on and off the ice. Guys like him make the game more interesting for sure.

That being said, he'll never wear the Blue Note. I am quite confident of that.

 

[StlBigFly]

it really is a shame we aren’t further along in our rebuild process. Is what it is.

If we were a legitimate contender, renting Brad Marchand is a super fun idea. It’s really a top tier idea. A lot of potential and I’d be glued to watching the games. The dude is an outstanding nhler in so many ways and I love trolling so that too. I’m down with dudes licking dudes before face offs let’s go.

Oh well.

 

[PocketNines]

Yeah, the worst part about being bad now is there's less chance to have Brad Marchand on our team what a heartbreak for some?

 

[PeoriaBlues309]

I don’t know how some of you guys survived watching hockey pre-2010. Did y’all hate over 30% of the league, including Blues players??

 

[joe galiba]

I don’t know how some of you guys survived watching hockey pre-2010. Did y’all hate over 30% of the league, including Blues players??

I personally miss bench clearing brawls (with actual fights, not bear hugs all over the ice)

honestly I think, other than checks to the head being essentially legal, back in the day there were less dangerous cheap shots

 

[PocketNines]

I don’t know how some of you guys survived watching hockey pre-2010. Did y’all hate over 30% of the league, including Blues players??

20% of the league was hateworthy back then. Now it's so mild. I don't hate Marchand, I just dislike him. That's different than not being bummed at the missed opportunity to acquire him. I mean, we need RD and a center ... so let's be sad no aged winger? That's just being addicted to the rush of seeing "Breaking Trade: STL" and nothing more

I think Ron Caron GM'd that way too, he loved the rush

 

[Majorityof1]

I don’t know how some of you guys survived watching hockey pre-2010. Did y’all hate over 30% of the league, including Blues players??

As I'm the only one complaining about it, this must be directed at me. I started watching hockey almost exactly 30 years ago. I liked it then. I like it better now. I'll give you a tip. Its not 1995, its 2025. It isn't 30 years ago.

Things change and a lot of things get better. If I see a boss slap his employee's ass, should I say, well that was the norm in 1950 so...No, it is wrong. Was wrong then and is more wrong now.

Hockey is better now because there are more skilled players. The skilled players are pushing out the goons and cheap players. That makes a better game. And even though Marchand is skilled, he tries to injure other skilled players and do cheap and cheating things to get them off their game. I don't like teams winning because they hurt the other team's best player or cheated. It's not that I don't like violence. I fought MMA for years and still watch it. But even MMA has rules, and the best fights occur withing those rules. I have no respect in that sport or any sport, for someone who doesn't try to win by being the best, but by making their opponent worse through cheap shots and injuries.

 

[Reality Czech]

I personally miss bench clearing brawls (with actual fights, not bear hugs all over the ice)

honestly I think, other than checks to the head being essentially legal, back in the day there were less dangerous cheap shots

It was just considered "finishing your hit"