2024-2025 Blues Trade Proposals Thread.

[Drubilly]

Schneider hasn't been good enough to give up that for him.

Oh. Well then Drury really just needs to give us Schneider and K’AM. He can have Leddy and Faulk. I like it!

 

[Brian39]

I would think they would only do this if they think Devo isn’t going to be what they thought

I don't think that acquiring a 2C would mean that the team has soured on Dvo.

I think that 'good 2C' is probably about what the organization was hoping Dvo would eventually become when they drafted him. Getting a guy who is already that doesn't mean that you don't believe that your 19 year old prospect won't eventually become that. This organization was super high on Thomas following his D+1 season, but that didn't stop them from acquiring ROR (5 years of term) and Bozak (3 years of term) to create a big roadblock at center.

6 weeks ago we were strongly considering a Schenn trade and it was clear that he was valued around the league. It is pretty far from a given that Schenn will play out the remainder of his contract here. I could very much see us bringing in a 2C and then moving Schenn in the next 12 months to create a 3C opening for Dvorsky. Or making Dvorsky stick in the NHL as a winger and waiting longer to move Schenn. Or keeping Schenn but eventually sliding him to 4C duty whenever Dvorsky grabs the 3C role.

I don't think any NHL team has ever been upset about having two 2C caliber players to fill their 2C and 3C roles. I think there are plenty of scenarios where the Blues would happily pay a haul to 'prevent' Dvorsky from getting a real shot at the 2C role for the next 3-4 years even if they are still confident that he will be good enough to fill that role before then. I could also see them being high on Dvorsky but still using him as the centerpiece of a trade for the 'right' 2C.

 

[bleedblue1223]

We were in on Norris, so I do very much believe that we'd push for a #2 C if given the opportunity, where Schenn is pushed to #3 or to wing. If Dvorsky proves he's ready, he can start at #3 C or wing too.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I don't think that acquiring a 2C would mean that the team has soured on Dvo.

I think that 'good 2C' is probably about what the organization was hoping Dvo would eventually become when they drafted him. Getting a guy who is already that doesn't mean that you don't believe that your 19 year old prospect won't eventually become that. This organization was super high on Thomas following his D+1 season, but that didn't stop them from acquiring ROR (5 years of term) and Bozak (3 years of term) to create a big roadblock at center.

6 weeks ago we were strongly considering a Schenn trade and it was clear that he was valued around the league. It is pretty far from a given that Schenn will play out the remainder of his contract here. I could very much see us bringing in a 2C and then moving Schenn in the next 12 months to create a 3C opening for Dvorsky. Or making Dvorsky stick in the NHL as a winger and waiting longer to move Schenn. Or keeping Schenn but eventually sliding him to 4C duty whenever Dvorsky grabs the 3C role.

I don't think any NHL team has ever been upset about having two 2C caliber players to fill their 2C and 3C roles. I think there are plenty of scenarios where the Blues would happily pay a haul to 'prevent' Dvorsky from getting a real shot at the 2C role for the next 3-4 years even if they are still confident that he will be good enough to fill that role before then. I could also see them being high on Dvorsky but still using him as the centerpiece of a trade for the 'right' 2C.

Just for the sake of argument, there are currently 30 players in the NHL who are (a) under 28, (b) have taken over 250 5v5 faceoffs (i.e. are centers), and (c) have won at least 50% of those faceoffs.

Nico Hischier, Anthony Cirelli, Nick Suzuki, Robert Thomas, Auston Matthews, Sebastian Aho, Ryan McLeod, Dylan Cozens, Anton Lundell, Barrett Hayton, Morgan Frost, Shane Pinto, Mason McTavish, Wyatt Johnston, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Isac Lundestrom, Jack Drury, Ryan Poehling, Josh Norris, John Beecher, Brett Howden, Rasmus Kupari, Jack McBain, Cody Glass, Ty Dellandrea, Mark Kastelic, Sam Steel, Blake Lizotte, Aatu Raty, Ridly Greig.

One of them is on our team already. I think you can safely scratch about 10 of them off any trade list; they aren't going anywhere. So young centers are pretty rare (20 dudes is ~3% of the forwards in the league). If you have the opportunity to snag any of them, I think you have to take it, regardless of what it might do to your prospects. Make it an area of strength.

 

[greybush314]

Matt Duchene would look great in between Kyrou and Holloway. I don't think Dallas can afford him next year so he will be available. That line would have some serious speed. Not sure how much he'd cost though. Maybe 3yrs at 6.5m per?

 

[Drubilly]

I don’t think Bennett would do it but would you guys sign him to a 4yr/$10ML contract?

 

[The Note]

I don’t think Bennett would do it but would you guys sign him to a 4yr/$10ML contract?

Probably not, and I’d imagine there’s no shot Bennett would.

 

[Majorityof1]

I don’t think Bennett would do it but would you guys sign him to a 4yr/$10ML contract?

God No. Why? That is a ridiculous overpay. This is a guy that hit his career high this season at 50 points and you want to pay him more than perennial 100-point guys? His defense and intangibles are good, but not near that good.

Would you pay $10M for Pavel Zacha who has more career points in less games and plays Center? No, the answer is no. That's rhetorical.

 

[MissouriMook]

Matt Duchene would look great in between Kyrou and Holloway. I don't think Dallas can afford him next year so he will be available. That line would have some serious speed. Not sure how much he'd cost though. Maybe 3yrs at 6.5m per?

I love that idea, but I’d try to get him on a 2 year deal with a little higher AAV.

Buchnevich-Thomas-Bolduc
Holloway-Duchene-Kyrou
Neighbours-Schenn-Snuggerud

That Top 9 would cook.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I love Sam Bennett and his game and I would love to have him on the Blues. No chance I pay him more than Thomas.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I love Sam Bennett and his game and I would love to have him on the Blues. No chance I pay him more than Thomas.

Anything more than 5mil would be a terrible overpay.

 

[Drubilly]

Well I guess my valuation of Bennett is waaaaaay off. Lol I thought teams would be offering a similar AAV this offseason being the “premier” center available.

 

[Drubilly]

God No. Why? That is a ridiculous overpay. This is a guy that hit his career high this season at 50 points and you want to pay him more than perennial 100-point guys? His defense and intangibles are good, but not near that good.

Would you pay $10M for Pavel Zacha who has more career points in less games and plays Center? No, the answer is no. That's rhetorical.

I thought he was hitting 70 points since arriving in FL. Damn.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Well I guess my valuation of Bennett is waaaaaay off. Lol I thought teams would be offering a similar AAV this offseason being the “premier” center available.

Teams are going to offer him a ton of cash. I just dont want to be one of those teams. That's a player that's new team is going to gage that contract as early as next year

 

[ds774622]

You can pencil in Bennett for 20+ goals a year and he has that nastiness that we all (generalizing here) adore, but hate to play against. In my view, he's what I want Neighbours to develop toward, but without the scumbaggery hits that Bennett throws. Plus he's a C and in his "prime", and you're buying UFA years; and if he signs as a UFA for less than 7 years so he can try to get another decent deal before he hits 35, then the price goes up. If you think he's worth $6.5M now, then he's probably getting over $8M AAV in the new increasing cap environment.

My prediction is that he'd get at least an $8.5M x 6 years UFA, or $7.5M per year with FLA on a discount.

I love Sam Bennett and his game and I would love to have him on the Blues. No chance I pay him more than Thomas.

I think you're in the ballpark of the $8.1M AAV for Thomas. I personally wouldn't object to Bennett at $8.5M AAV assuming we're just re-purposing the Krug cap hit, but I totally get why folks wouldn't want to touch him if his price creeps in the $8M tier.

Edit: Forgot to say that I think there's almost no chance he signs in STL anyways.

 

[greybush314]

I love that idea, but I’d try to get him on a 2 year deal with a little higher AAV.

Buchnevich-Thomas-Bolduc
Holloway-Duchene-Kyrou
Neighbours-Schenn-Snuggerud

That Top 9 would cook.

I like the three years because it'd match Schenn's deal. We'd have a good 3 year run with those two and be looking to retool with some major cap room. Extend Fowler on that same timeline too. Would give Dvorsky time to establish himself and maybe Lindstein will be ready to step in for Fowler at that point.

Also I'd go-

Bolduc-Thomas-Snuggerud
Holloway-Duchene-Kyrou
Neighbours-Schenn-Buchnevic
WST

 

[Mike Liut]

Matt Duchene would look great in between Kyrou and Holloway. I don't think Dallas can afford him next year so he will be available. That line would have some serious speed. Not sure how much he'd cost though. Maybe 3yrs at 6.5m per?

A 2 year stop-gap is exactly what we need. I just don’t think we can waste 2 years of this young nucleus with A) Schenn as a #2 C, and B) waiting for 19 year old Dvo to develop and 3) Sunny as 3C.

 

[Brian39]

Well I guess my valuation of Bennett is waaaaaay off. Lol I thought teams would be offering a similar AAV this offseason being the “premier” center available.

I don't think it's too far off. He's going to get 7 year offers and the total value on those deals will absolutely be above $40M. With his style there is absolutely no guarantee that he is still playing well enough after 4 years to get another big dollar amount. He really shouldn't be giving up several years of term unless the AAV goes way up to get in the same ballpark of total dollars.

Now, I have zero interest in paying him $10M against the cap, but that's probably right in the ballpark of what it would take for him to sign for 4 years instead of 7 years at the highest AAV he can find on the open market. He's played at 26 goal, 53 point pace over the last 4 years and he has 12 goals and 29 points in 39 playoff games in their last 2 runs to the Final. And he has been an absolute wrecking ball physically on those runs (over 4 hits per game). He has a real chance to get $50M+ on a 7 year deal. He'd be crazy to pass that up for less than $40M and the hope that his body holds up enough to get another $11M+ on the open market for his age 33+ seasons.

Again, I have no interest giving him $10M for a shorter term deal. I also have no interest in giving him a long term deal. But I think he'll get a 7 year deal with a big AAV this summer, especially if he has another strong playoff.

 

[Drubilly]

I don't think it's too far off. He's going to get 7 year offers and the total value on those deals will absolutely be above $40M. With his style there is absolutely no guarantee that he is still playing well enough after 4 years to get another big dollar amount. He really shouldn't be giving up several years of term unless the AAV goes way up to get in the same ballpark of total dollars.

Now, I have zero interest in paying him $10M against the cap, but that's probably right in the ballpark of what it would take for him to sign for 4 years instead of 7 years at the highest AAV he can find on the open market. He's played at 26 goal, 53 point pace over the last 4 years and he has 12 goals and 29 points in 39 playoff games in their last 2 runs to the Final. And he has been an absolute wrecking ball physically on those runs (over 4 hits per game). He has a real chance to get $50M+ on a 7 year deal. He'd be crazy to pass that up for less than $40M and the hope that his body holds up enough to get another $11M+ on the open market for his age 33+ seasons.

Again, I have no interest giving him $10M for a shorter term deal. I also have no interest in giving him a long term deal. But I think he'll get a 7 year deal with a big AAV this summer, especially if he has another strong playoff.

Thanks Brian. I didn’t think it was a ridiculous offer knowing that someone will give him 7 years if he doesn’t re-up with FL. I would think the Blues would sign him as a stop-gap therefore the way higher AAV. I just REALLY thought he was netting more points than he currently is.

 

[taylord22]

Holloway - Duchene - Kyrou would be quite a line.

From the sounds of it, though, he's willing to play ball to stay in Dallas. And Benn sounds as though he's willing to take a minimum contract for a year to remain in contention. He's stated he's informed the front office to come to him last.

I believe we'd probably be toward the front 1/3 of his preference list (quiet market, lower tax, competitive), and a 2-3 year high AAV contract may sway him some, but I suspect he stays in Dallas. I agree with others that a 2-3 year veteran contract would be my preference to bring in. Rozlovich is another player I could see them taking a short-term flyer on if they miss on a bigger name.

Regardless, I don't like the idea of trading assets for a C. I think we know we're going to have to use assets for the top 4 RD, and it's also not out of the question that we may end up wanting to use assets on a wing upgrade by next year's TDL/Draft. I like the way Snuggy has read off Thomas, but nothing has materialized. Bolduc hasn't produced 5 on 5. You don't want to wait much longer on finding the long-term option for Thomas's wing. Holly + Kyrou creates an elite or near 2nd line. Thomas can make an elite line out of less, but finding him an elite option truly raises the offensive ceiling of this team (we're paying for a lower offensive ceiling with Holloway's absence now).

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Holloway - Duchene - Kyrou would be quite a line.

From the sounds of it, though, he's willing to play ball to stay in Dallas. And Benn sounds as though he's willing to take a minimum contract for a year to remain in contention. He's stated he's informed the front office to come to him last.

I believe we'd probably be toward the front 1/3 of his preference list (quiet market, lower tax, competitive), and a 2-3 year high AAV contract may sway him some, but I suspect he stays in Dallas. I agree with others that a 2-3 year veteran contract would be my preference to bring in. Rozlovich is another player I could see them taking a short-term flyer on if they miss on a bigger name.

Regardless, I don't like the idea of trading assets for a C. I think we know we're going to have to use assets for the top 4 RD, and it's also not out of the question that we may end up wanting to use assets on a wing upgrade by next year's TDL/Draft. I like the way Snuggy has read off Thomas, but nothing has materialized. Bolduc hasn't produced 5 on 5. You don't want to wait much longer on finding the long-term option for Thomas's wing. Holly + Kyrou creates an elite or near 2nd line. Thomas can make an elite line out of less, but finding him an elite option truly raises the offensive ceiling of this team (we're paying for a lower offensive ceiling with Holloway's absence now).

I think Duchene will stay in Dallas for as long as they will have him. He’s a total family man now and hockey is just his job. And he’s still quite good at his job. He’s seems like a good dude who works hard. Very steady.

 

[BadgersandBlues]

Bolduc hasn't produced 5 on 5.

I feel like I am taking crazy pills when it comes to this board's view on Bolduc vs all of the metrics/eye test. Since Montgomery has taken over as HC, Bolduc is tied for 3rd on our team in 5v5 goals with Buch at 12. The only two people who have scored more goals then Bolduc at 5v5 since Monty took over are Kyrou and Holloway. On a per/60 basis, Bolduc is our 2nd leading 5v5 goal scorer at 1.14, behind only Kyrou.

Under Monty, Bolduc has played a total of 108 minutes with Holloway (With a sparkling 63.63 xFG%), 84 minutes with Thomas (Again with a sparkling 63.5 xGF%), 32.5 minutes with Buch, and 10.5 minutes with Kyrou. Bolduc has played almost as many minutes with Joseph (206) then he's played with our four best offensive players combined (235). And yet he's STILL the third leading 5v5 goal scorer on this team, with Sundquivst as his most often linemate at 398 minutes 5v5.

I am honestly at a loss at what Bolduc needs to do for everyone involved in the Blues to recognize that he's played incredible this season and deserves a bigger role - He's actually the highest goalscoring rookie on a per/60 basis (All situations) of players who've played at least 40 games - better then Celebrini or Mitchkov (And remember, he didn't score a goal in his first 20 something games under Bannister). He's 5th in rookie points from a per/60 basis, with only Mitchkov, Celebrini, Smith, and Gauthier ahead of him - and he leads all rookies in +/-. which I get is a bit of a /shrug stat, but it still has -some- value.

This concept that Bolduc hasn't produced or hasn't earned a bigger role or any of this garbage is getting on my nerves. Snuggerud had a longer audition on Thomas' wing then Bolduc has gotten at any point in this season, and the underlying numbers on the Thomas/Snuggy combo is downright horrific (Very small sample size ofc).

 

[ScratchCatFever]

Dvo is 19 and one of the youngest players in the NHL. Lets get him on a NHL training plan this offseason before we throw him away.

I mean, the kid has had ample time to address his biggest weakness, and to my eye, he still somewhat resembled a fawn standing up for the first time.. Not saying we should think about moving him, but I'd say it's not unreasonable to have tempered expectations for the time being until there's notable improvement and he's at least average NHL level ability in that department. If he's as cerebral as we all think he is, being just average skating wise hopefully won't hold back the rest of his development.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I mean, the kid has had ample time to address his biggest weakness, and to my eye, he still somewhat resembled a fawn standing up for the first time.. Not saying we should think about moving him, but I'd say it's not unreasonable to have tempered expectations for the time being until there's notable improvement and he's at least average NHL level ability in that department. If he's as cerebral as we all think he is, being just average skating wise hopefully won't hold back the rest of his development.

Well said. Glad someone posted something like this. Although, Perry has done well to temper some of the expectations.

 

[greybush314]

Holloway - Duchene - Kyrou would be quite a line.

From the sounds of it, though, he's willing to play ball to stay in Dallas. And Benn sounds as though he's willing to take a minimum contract for a year to remain in contention. He's stated he's informed the front office to come to him last.

I believe we'd probably be toward the front 1/3 of his preference list (quiet market, lower tax, competitive), and a 2-3 year high AAV contract may sway him some, but I suspect he stays in Dallas. I agree with others that a 2-3 year veteran contract would be my preference to bring in. Rozlovich is another player I could see them taking a short-term flyer on if they miss on a bigger name.

Regardless, I don't like the idea of trading assets for a C. I think we know we're going to have to use assets for the top 4 RD, and it's also not out of the question that we may end up wanting to use assets on a wing upgrade by next year's TDL/Draft. I like the way Snuggy has read off Thomas, but nothing has materialized. Bolduc hasn't produced 5 on 5. You don't want to wait much longer on finding the long-term option for Thomas's wing. Holly + Kyrou creates an elite or near 2nd line. Thomas can make an elite line out of less, but finding him an elite option truly raises the offensive ceiling of this team (we're paying for a lower offensive ceiling with Holloway's absence now).

Dallas has 4.55m in cap space next year with only 17 players signed. Even if Duchene wanted to stay they'd have to completely gut their depth to give him even a team friendly deal. I can't see him playing for 1-2m after putting up a ppg season. This will likely be his last chance to make good money too