2024-2025 Blues Trade Proposals Thread.

[Bye Bye Blueston]

Absolutely brutal tonight from Hofer. What goalies are on the block at the deadline? Too many games down the stretch and Hofer is showing he's the weak link right now. Probably overreacting a bit but also curious what veteran goalies are out there for 5 stats down the stretch?

Ellis?

 

[LetsGoBooze]

Absolutely brutal tonight from Hofer. What goalies are on the block at the deadline? Too many games down the stretch and Hofer is showing he's the weak link right now. Probably overreacting a bit but also curious what veteran goalies are out there for 5 starts down the stretch?

Holy over reaction Batman. Let the re-tool breathe. Hofer deserves to to play some meaningful hockey to hopefully develop more in a transition year.

 

[TheDizee]

Snuggy is the only missing piece they need

Getting rid of Kyrou is the only missing piece this team needs to become a playoff team. It may not happen this year even if they were to trade him because of the hole they dug themselves, but a full 82 game season without him costing you a dozen games is enough for them to be in the top 8.

Adding others like Snuggy will only help them further down the road become a elite team.

 

[Blanick]

Getting rid of Kyrou is the only missing piece this team needs to become a playoff team. It may not happen this year even if they were to trade him because of the hole they dug themselves, but a full 82 game season without him costing you a dozen games is enough for them to be in the top 8.

Adding others like Snuggy will only help them further down the road become a elite team.

Have you ever considered that the nights that Kyrou is "off" are coincidentally the same nights the Blues as a team look "off." He is one of the engines that makes the offense go. Moving him would not be addition by subtraction, it would only hurt our already thin offensive game. I know nuance like this will probably sail right over your head as you continually beat the drum of Kyrou is worthless but then in the same breathe try to trade him for a star player.

 

[TheDizee]

Have you ever considered that the nights that Kyrou is "off" are coincidentally the same nights the Blues as a team look "off." He is one of the engines that makes the offense go. Moving him would not be addition by subtraction, it would only hurt our already thin offensive game. I know nuance like this will probably sail right over your head as you continually beat the drum of Kyrou is worthless but then in the same breathe try to trade him for a star player.

Kyrou has cost them atleast 10 points this season. His idiotic turnovers IN TIED/CLOSE GAMES LATE like the doozy he had @ PHI and then games like tonight are how he does it. He has not come even remotely close to being the reason we GOT 10 points.

For every game he has like last night, he has 7-8 ones like tonight. He is about to be outproduced by Holloway, who has had nowhere near the chances and ice time Kyrou has gotten for the past 3 years.

Getting him off the team is as crucial as getting Chris Stewart, Brad Boyes and Jori Lehtera off the team was. They are all OVERRATED and on AWFUL contracts.

 

[Spektre]

Kyrou has cost them atleast 10 points this season. His idiotic turnovers IN TIED/CLOSE GAMES LATE like the doozy he had @ PHI and then games like tonight are how he does it. He has not come even remotely close to being the reason we GOT 10 points.

For every game he has like last night, he has 7-8 ones like tonight. He is about to be outproduced by Holloway, who has had nowhere near the chances and ice time Kyrou has gotten for the past 3 years.

Getting him off the team is as crucial as getting Chris Stewart, Brad Boyes and Jori Lehtera off the team was. They are all OVERRATED and on AWFUL contracts.

If you can trade Kyrou for Owen Power, or someone similar, I’m listening. Trading Kyrou because you think he’s a Lehtera or Stewart is silly.

 

[Xerloris]

Absolutely brutal tonight from Hofer. What goalies are on the block at the deadline? Too many games down the stretch and Hofer is showing he's the weak link right now. Probably overreacting a bit but also curious what veteran goalies are out there for 5 starts down the stretch?

Dude I dislike Hofer and even I think this is a psychotic take

 

[ScratchCatFever]

Kyrou has cost them atleast 10 points this season. His idiotic turnovers IN TIED/CLOSE GAMES LATE like the doozy he had @ PHI and then games like tonight are how he does it. He has not come even remotely close to being the reason we GOT 10 points.

For every game he has like last night, he has 7-8 ones like tonight. He is about to be outproduced by Holloway, who has had nowhere near the chances and ice time Kyrou has gotten for the past 3 years.

Getting him off the team is as crucial as getting Chris Stewart, Brad Boyes and Jori Lehtera off the team was. They are all OVERRATED and on AWFUL contracts.

It's painfully obvious at this point that emotional immaturity is the issue here and not #25 in the Blue note..

 

[StlBigFly]

Evolving hockey’s tdl list

Finally somebody besides me lists McLeod as a trade candidate. Right to the top, as he should be.

He’s by far the most likely center to move besides pure rental depth pieces.

0 other folks have mentioned this dude. No tsn, no fans, no Eklund even. I started a thread here to 100% mockery.

It’s odd that the hockey insider community and the hockey fan community are unable or unwilling to identify the obvious trade candidates.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I still don't think he's traded, but I'd agree, I could see a scenario where he is. He comes with 2 years of control, so if Buffalo feels he doesn't wnt to stay, then maybe capitalize on his value. They should keep him, but I just don't know what Buffalo is going to do, they are just kind of a mess.

Take defense for example, while being LD heavy is part of the issue, the other part is how their big defensemen all play the same style, they are very similar. Because of how good Dahlin is, Power suffers. Power has great offensive metric, but he sucks defensively, and I don't think they are doing a good job of putting him in a position to succeed.

For me, Buffalo is a team where anyone could be available and it wouldn't surprise me. Thompson and Dahlin are probably the only ones not available.

 

[TruBlueFan1970]

Dude I dislike Hofer and even I think this is a psychotic take

Agree. Maybe a bright side to his inconsistency, is that his RFA value may be less for the Blues. In other words, I still think they keep him as the backup, but his value is no longer similar to what Husso got with his $4m deal. We should be able to get a bridge deal for Hofer for around $2-2.5 AAV for 2 years. If he wants more, we have Ellis in the wings.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Rutherford had an article with an anonymous NHL exec and scout evaluating Blues trade proposals. If we lose in regulation against LA, I'm going to be very intrigued of what we do with Schenn. I still lean towards they keep him and they decide to let them make a push for the playoffs, and it's similar to how Buchnevich was available last deadline, but with a crazy price. Some of the comments from the exec and scout make me believe that Schenn's value really is pretty high around the league, and with the way he is playing, 29 points over last 40 games, so pacing at about 60 points, he has the stats this year to back it up.

I was skeptical if he could do it, but if Army is able to get an Erat/Forsberg type offer, he has to take it regardless of the situation we are in. The article mentioned that Schenn for Conor Geekie would be fair, and maybe not enough. Maybe Jersey gets a bit desperate after the Hughes injury? I don't think Army does a 1st+Toronto prospect, but if a team can offer up a prospect or young player that feels like a much safer bet to be top 6 forward or top 4 defender, it'll be harder to say no to.

Internally, I think Schenn will test their view of is the goal playoffs as soon as possible, or giving Steen the best core to work with. They clearly didn't view Schenn as a #2 C entering the season, and his play eventually got him that spot back, but it did take Buchnevich failing pretty hard first. While I'm sure Army loves him as a captain and what he's done here, I'm curious how much of the future projections they had of him changed? Do they now believe that Schenn can perform at this level longer, or do they still expect him to drop off and not be #2 C caliber.

 

[Spektre]

Rutherford had an article with an anonymous NHL exec and scout evaluating Blues trade proposals. If we lose in regulation against LA, I'm going to be very intrigued of what we do with Schenn. I still lean towards they keep him and they decide to let them make a push for the playoffs, and it's similar to how Buchnevich was available last deadline, but with a crazy price. Some of the comments from the exec and scout make me believe that Schenn's value really is pretty high around the league, and with the way he is playing, 29 points over last 40 games, so pacing at about 60 points, he has the stats this year to back it up.

I was skeptical if he could do it, but if Army is able to get an Erat/Forsberg type offer, he has to take it regardless of the situation we are in. The article mentioned that Schenn for Conor Geekie would be fair, and maybe not enough. Maybe Jersey gets a bit desperate after the Hughes injury? I don't think Army does a 1st+Toronto prospect, but if a team can offer up a prospect or young player that feels like a much safer bet to be top 6 forward or top 4 defender, it'll be harder to say no to.

Internally, I think Schenn will test their view of is the goal playoffs as soon as possible, or giving Steen the best core to work with. They clearly didn't view Schenn as a #2 C entering the season, and his play eventually got him that spot back, but it did take Buchnevich failing pretty hard first. While I'm sure Army loves him as a captain and what he's done here, I'm curious how much of the future projections they had of him changed? Do they now believe that Schenn can perform at this level longer, or do they still expect him to drop off and not be #2 C caliber.

I can't wrap my mind around the idea that Army's decision comes down to 1 more game against LA. That doesn't seem like an executive decision. That seems like the person in the drive-thru hearing coke, thinking about getting out of the situation they are in, and giving you a mellow yellow.

Army has to see the entire picture. I thought he made the wrong decision with Buchnevich last year, and we'll see what happens this year.

 

[bleedblue1223]

I can't wrap my mind around the idea that Army's decision comes down to 1 more game against LA. That doesn't seem like an executive decision. That seems like the person in the drive-thru hearing coke, thinking about getting out of the situation they are in, and giving you a mellow yellow.

Army has to see the entire picture. I thought he made the wrong decision with Buchnevich last year, and we'll see what happens this year.

You're right, it probably doesn't come down to that, maybe a better way of putting it is, based on our play since 4 Nations, Army's in a pretty weird spot based on where he was prior to the tourney when it felt like the season was falling apart and everyone was available. Friedman and Dreger had comments recently basically saying the same thing, that they aren't quite sure what we will do because we started winning.

This is all pure speculation, and I'm basically just curious what Army's thinking is. I feel confident that Army will hold to his high price, but if someone meets it, I wonder if Army will pull the trigger, or keep the group together.

 

[bleedblue1223]

And for the teams specifically mentioned around Schenn, I don't think Toronto or Vegas have what I'd ultimately accept, although Toronto can offer something better than Vegas.

 

[TruBlueFan1970]

I can't wrap my mind around the idea that Army's decision comes down to 1 more game against LA. That doesn't seem like an executive decision. That seems like the person in the drive-thru hearing coke, thinking about getting out of the situation they are in, and giving you a mellow yellow.

Army has to see the entire picture. I thought he made the wrong decision with Buchnevich last year, and we'll see what happens this year.

100% I think he overplayed his hand with Buch and then doubled down on it with a bad extension. Feels like a similar situation here. I do think trading him would hurt the run they are on and negate any chances of getting that last WC spot. That’s where I’m not sure where his mind is at. Maybe NJ gets desperate after Hughes going down and will call about Buch!!!

 

[Spektre]

You're right, it probably doesn't come down to that, maybe a better way of putting it is, based on our play since 4 Nations, Army's in a pretty weird spot based on where he was prior to the tourney when it felt like the season was falling apart and everyone was available. Friedman and Dreger had comments recently basically saying the same thing, that they aren't quite sure what we will do because we started winning.

This is all pure speculation, and I'm basically just curious what Army's thinking is. I feel confident that Army will hold to his high price, but if someone meets it, I wonder if Army will pull the trigger, or keep the group together.

I would lean more towards that, but I would hope Army puts the 4-game win streak in the same bowl as the rest of the season. Is the 4-game win streak a factor, yes, but I don't think it should be a heavy weighted part of the overall view.

Here's what I suppose is in the realm of reality. Teams have obviously paid attention to the Blues standings this year. There have been calls between Army and other GM's, in which Army said he would be willing to part with Schenn, and as any good negotiation, he puts the asking price higher than any GM is willing to give. As the TDL gets closer, talks happen more frequently, and it comes down to does the return make sense enough to the franchise to ask Schenn's agent (or another) to waive their NTC.

Since Army is setup as a seller, time is on his side for the most part. The only thing that will hinder his negotiation, is if the market dries up due to those teams interested finding a different dance partner.

I still think Schenn gets traded. There's been more smoke around him this year than say a Buchnevich last year. I also lean towards hoping he's traded because of several reasons. I think he's propped up by Holloway & Kyrou as wingers. His value is never going to be higher at another TDL. We'll see...

 

[Brian39]

I can't wrap my mind around the idea that Army's decision comes down to 1 more game against LA. That doesn't seem like an executive decision. That seems like the person in the drive-thru hearing coke, thinking about getting out of the situation they are in, and giving you a mellow yellow.

Army has to see the entire picture. I thought he made the wrong decision with Buchnevich last year, and we'll see what happens this year.

The point is that the outcome of that one game colors the picture to a substantial degree. Following that game we could be anywhere from 3 points out of a playoff spot or sitting in a playoff spot. The question isn't 'what happened in that game' but rather 'how realistic are playoffs' following that game. Moneypuck gives us a 35% chance to make the playoffs with a win against LA and a 21% chance with a regulation loss. The result of the Flames game Tuesday swings our odds another 4 percentage points. The result of Vancouver's game has a similar impact.

By the end of the night Wednesday, we could be staring at a 15% chance of making the playoffs or a 40% chance of making the playoffs (or somewhere in between). Those are drastically different situations to find yourself in and merit different decisions. Are you suggesting that executive decision making shouldn't factor in present day realities?

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

The point is that the outcome of that one game colors the picture to a substantial degree. Following that game we could be anywhere from 3 points out of a playoff spot or sitting in a playoff spot. The question isn't 'what happened in that game' but rather 'how realistic are playoffs' following that game. Moneypuck gives us a 35% chance to make the playoffs with a win against LA and a 21% chance with a regulation loss. The result of the Flames game Tuesday swings our odds another 4 percentage points. The result of Vancouver's game has a similar impact.

By the end of the night Wednesday, we could be staring at a 15% chance of making the playoffs or a 40% chance of making the playoffs (or somewhere in between). Those are drastically different situations to find yourself in and merit different decisions. Are you suggesting that executive decision making shouldn't factor in present day realities?

I think playoff possibility makes it less likely we trade our rentals, as none of them are likely to return enough that it makes sense to deal them if we have realistic shot at playoffs. If we get rumored ask for Schenn, I think you need to deal him regardless of what it does to this year's playoff chances.

 

[Spektre]

The point is that the outcome of that one game colors the picture to a substantial degree. Following that game we could be anywhere from 3 points out of a playoff spot or sitting in a playoff spot. The question isn't 'what happened in that game' but rather 'how realistic are playoffs' following that game. Moneypuck gives us a 35% chance to make the playoffs with a win against LA and a 21% chance with a regulation loss. The result of the Flames game Tuesday swings our odds another 4 percentage points. The result of Vancouver's game has a similar impact.

By the end of the night Wednesday, we could be staring at a 15% chance of making the playoffs or a 40% chance of making the playoffs (or somewhere in between). Those are drastically different situations to find yourself in and merit different decisions. Are you suggesting that executive decision making shouldn't factor in present day realities?

I'm saying present day realities are what they are. It's not just about what the Blues will or won't do at the TDL. What will Vancouver, LA, Calgary, Utah, and Colorado do at the TDL? I can 100% guarantee Moneypuck doesn't have odds on every trade that can or will take place with all of those franchises. Does the performance of the Blues this side of the 4-team tourney have validity? Yes. I'm saying you can't take that very small sample size and give it more credibility than it deserves.

There are a million what if's. What if Utah, Calgary, and Vancouver all make substantial moves to bolster their roster, and the Blues stand pat? What does that do to the playoff odds? The Blues certainly aren't going to be "buyers" in the general sense of the word. If they are, I will be utterly shocked.

All of these things, and more, have to be on Army's (and his team's) minds.

We aren't privy to everything, but it would be fun if we were

My personal guess is it's 50/50 if they trade Schenn. I would go as high as 70% he would get traded, but the seemingly high expectations Army had for this roster tells me he thinks more of it than I do.

 

[Brian39]

I think playoff possibility makes it less likely we trade our rentals, as none of them are likely to return enough that it makes sense to deal them if we have realistic shot at playoff. If we get rumored ask for Schenn, I think you need to deal him regardless of what it does to this year's playoff chances.

I think there is definitely a tipping point where you have to trade him, but I also don't think that any team is actually going to meet that ask. I'm guessing that the best offer we get for Schenn is a late 1st and a prospect that isn't challenging to be top 5 in our prospect pool. And that offer probably requires us to retain salary. I'd be thrilled to be wrong and get a potential franchise-altering piece, but I don't expect it and I'm very much leaning toward keeping him for a push if we're not getting that main piece that is just too good to pass up.

FWIW, I don't think Schenn's trade value changes a ton from the deadline to the draft. A big part of his value is wrapped up into his professionalism and leadership. Contenders obviously value that and may very well value him less when you remove this year's playoffs from the trade equation. But there are also a good chunk of young teams on the upswing that would value that stuff in the summer but aren't focused on buying at the deadline. Worth noting that right now Schenn has to approve any trade. In the summer, he has to provide a list that allows us to trade him to 16 teams. I'd be pretty damn surprised if there were currently 16 teams that he'd be willing to waive for. There are also going to be more teams that can fit his contract without major retention in the summer than contenders that can do that now.

I think the expansion of potential destinations this summer offsets most (or all) of the opportunity cost of not trading him at the deadline. The Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou line is humming and I'm pretty comfortable with a gamble that they can keep it up down the stretch to keep his value high going into the summer.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I think there is definitely a tipping point where you have to trade him, but I also don't think that any team is actually going to meet that ask. I'm guessing that the best offer we get for Schenn is a late 1st and a prospect that isn't challenging to be top 5 in our prospect pool. And that offer probably requires us to retain salary. I'd be thrilled to be wrong and get a potential franchise-altering piece, but I don't expect it and I'm very much leaning toward keeping him for a push if we're not getting that main piece that is just too good to pass up.

FWIW, I don't think Schenn's trade value changes a ton from the deadline to the draft. A big part of his value is wrapped up into his professionalism and leadership. Contenders obviously value that and may very well value him less when you remove this year's playoffs from the trade equation. But there are also a good chunk of young teams on the upswing that would value that stuff in the summer but aren't focused on buying at the deadline. Worth noting that right now Schenn has to approve any trade. In the summer, he has to provide a list that allows us to trade him to 16 teams. I'd be pretty damn surprised if there were currently 16 teams that he'd be willing to waive for. There are also going to be more teams that can fit his contract without major retention in the summer than contenders that can do that now.

I think the expansion of potential destinations this summer offsets most (or all) of the opportunity cost of not trading him at the deadline. The Holloway-Schenn-Kyrou line is humming and I'm pretty comfortable with a gamble that they can keep it up down the stretch to keep his value high going into the summer.

EF said that NJ has been interested in him. JHughes got hurt last night. Does that push them to up their offer? To me, If you could figure out way to get Mercer and Nemec, that would be kind of deal you have to pull trigger on regardless of standings.

 

[bleedblue1223]

EF said that NJ has been interested in him. JHughes got hurt last night. Does that push them to up their offer? To me, If you could figure out way to get Mercer and Nemec, that would be kind of deal you have to pull trigger on regardless of standings.

When I was looking at the Erat/Forsberg deal, Schenn for Silayev would map on pretty well to that. If Jersey had prior interest, and if they feel more desperate now with Hughes' injury, they have options that would make be accept a deal.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Yeah if TBL offers up Geekie+ for Schenn and we don’t bite on that, I’ll be a little confused.

 

[Brian39]

EF said that NJ has been interested in him. JHughes got hurt last night. Does that push them to up their offer? To me, If you could figure out way to get Mercer and Nemec, that would be kind of deal you have to pull trigger on regardless of standings.

Sure you take that deal, but I don't see any chance at all New Jersey makes that offer.

Mercer has more goals than Schenn this year in a noticeably more defensive role. Swapping him for Schenn still leaves them with a hole in their top 6. Mercer is a noticeably more valuable piece than Schenn looking 2+ years into the future and is cheaper over the next 2 seasons after this one. Even if New Jersey were willing to sacrifice that future value to upgrade him to Schenn right now, they certainly wouldn't value that upgrade as a high end prospect that they picked #2 overall.

Even if the Devils are desperate, I'd wager the player coming back to make the money work would be Haula. And even if it were Haula, I don't think that Nemec would be on the table. If they are truly desperate for a center with a hurt Hughes, I'd wager that they pay rental price for Nelson over moving Nemec.