2024-2025 Blues Trade Proposals Thread.

[PeoriaBlues309]

Thank you for the added context. Being out of state, I don't get to go to many games to see practices and the like.

The Buch video was one I thought of as a sign he didn't fit. As I remember it, Suter was not happy with Buch ribbing him about his buy outs. But the other stuff you cited definitely shows I am reading too much into it.

Of course!

Also you should watch that one with Buch again haha he wasn’t upset with it at all.

 

[BlueDream]

I think Suter is definitely fitting in here. It’s probably part of the reason that he has come out and said that he wants to play another season. If he didn’t like the room or was annoyed with the guys then he’s at the age where he would be like “f*** this, it’s time to retire.” But he seems to be enjoying himself with our group and it sounds like he’s open to coming back to us for one more year. The recent Strickland interview he did made it clear that he absolutely LOVES Schenn.

I also agree that the Buch interview was funny. He was ribbing Buch about his English right at the start, he seems to have a good sense of humor and gets along well with the guys. Plus he’s always talking to Tucker or whoever his partner is on the bench.

 

[Frenzy31]

If we can bring in a quality top 4 defensive RHD AND Krug is about what he was in 2023/24, we could do a hell of a lot worse than a Krug-Faulk 3rd pair. That would be a better 3rd pair than the large majority of the league. Way more cap than you'd like to allocate to a 3rd pair, but we have the space to make it work short term and their remaining term would keep it a short term solution. Now, those two conditions are a large if, but I think that is the scenario we'd be looking at if we're in a situation where Krug is actually coming back.

Krug-Faulk isn't a pair I want to see when they have to be your 2nd pair and play 19+ minutes a night largely against top 6 competition. But they would be a damn effective pair with 3rd pair minutes/usage.

My impression is that Krug's career is over and I'd prefer to use his cap space elsewhere. But in a world where he returns (and we presumably move Leddy to clear the roster log jam), we have plenty of space to work with.

I thought Krug and Kessel played very well together last year. It was a solid pairing. I am just not sure how to allocate our cap. We have upped the LHD with Fowler and Broberg this year. But after next season - Broberg will be looking for quite a bit more and so will Holloway....

 

[Brian39]

I thought Krug and Kessel played very well together last year. It was a solid pairing. I am just not sure how to allocate our cap. We have upped the LHD with Fowler and Broberg this year. But after next season - Broberg will be looking for quite a bit more and so will Holloway....

They will get well deserved large raises and we have plenty of cap space to do it even with Faulk and Krug still around. As of now, we have $42M in cap space for 2026/27. No one is owed a huge raise this summer either.

Thomas, Kyrou, Buch, Schenn, and Neighbours will combine for about $34.5M against a $104M cap in 2026/27. Bolduc will also be due a raise for 2026/27, but it will likely be a bridge deal. Any of Dvorsky, Snuggy, Stenberg, Kaskimaki, Pekarcic, Stancl, or Robertsson etc that stick in the lineup will be on their ELCs. We are going to be 'underpaying' our forward group by a pretty hefty amount in 2026/27.

So while paying Faulk/Krug a combined $13M is an overpay, it is an overpay that we can absorb for 2026/27 while we pay what becomes market value for Broberg and Holloway. And then $19M comes off the books in the summer of 2027 when Faulk, Krug, and Binner's contracts expire. And then Schenn comes off the books the next summer. Perfect timing to pay for some raises (hopefully) earned as our crop of current prospects start coming off their ELCs.

We can overpay the D in the short-to-medium term because the forward group is going to be earning well below their market value in the short-to-medium term. Again, I think Krug is done and my preference would be to invest this 'saved' money into other areas. But if he's able to return, we are perfectly capable of overpaying the D.

 

[TruBlueFan1970]

They will get well deserved large raises and we have plenty of cap space to do it even with Faulk and Krug still around. As of now, we have $42M in cap space for 2026/27. No one is owed a huge raise this summer either.

Thomas, Kyrou, Buch, Schenn, and Neighbours will combine for about $34.5M against a $104M cap in 2026/27. Bolduc will also be due a raise for 2026/27, but it will likely be a bridge deal. Any of Dvorsky, Snuggy, Stenberg, Kaskimaki, Pekarcic, Stancl, or Robertsson etc that stick in the lineup will be on their ELCs. We are going to be 'underpaying' our forward group by a pretty hefty amount in 2026/27.

So while paying Faulk/Krug a combined $13M is an overpay, it is an overpay that we can absorb for 2026/27 while we pay what becomes market value for Broberg and Holloway. And then $19M comes off the books in the summer of 2027 when Faulk, Krug, and Binner's contracts expire. And then Schenn comes off the books the next summer. Perfect timing to pay for some raises (hopefully) earned as our crop of current prospects start coming off their ELCs.

We can overpay the D in the short-to-medium term because the forward group is going to be earning well below their market value in the short-to-medium term. Again, I think Krug is done and my preference would be to invest this 'saved' money into other areas. But if he's able to return, we are perfectly capable of overpaying the D.

Don't forget Leddy's $4.0 million coming off as well after 25/26 season. Same amount with Fowler, although I'm hoping if he is still playing well that we can resign him in the $2-3 million range for his 36- and 37-year-old seasons. Again, assuming he is still playing as well.

 

[Brian39]

Don't forget Leddy's $4.0 million coming off as well after 25/26 season. Same amount with Fowler, although I'm hoping if he is still playing well that we can resign him in the $2-3 million range for his 36- and 37-year-old seasons. Again, assuming he is still playing as well.

I didn't mention those contracts coming off the books because it is already baked into the $42M in space we currently have for 2026/27.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Fowler. His current deal expires after his age 34 season, so an extension would start in his age 35 season.

 

[TruBlueFan1970]

I didn't mention those contracts coming off the books because it is already baked into the $42M in space we currently have for 2026/27.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Fowler. His current deal expires after his age 34 season, so an extension would start in his age 35 season.

My mistake. He turns 35 in Dec ‘26 so it would be his age 35 season. It will be interesting to see what happens with him.

 

[BlueMed]

Krug isn't as bad as you and many others make him out to be, but I know he makes an easy whipping boy

A defensemen who can't actually defend while 5 on 5 is problematic to say the least...