2024-2025 Blues Trade Proposals Thread.

[Spektre]

Schenn does, it's just not controversial since it's widely accepted that his play has declined significantly, his contract isn't great, Holloway elevated him to passable, but he's a good captain.

We all agree our areas to upgrade are the spots that Schenn and Faulk currently play. Kyrou is just a more divisive player because we don't all agree on if he's an issue or not.

I disagree. I gave up posting any criticism of Schenn because of the seemingly people taking it personally viewpoint.

 

[Xanadude]

Elias Lindholm could be an interesting trade target. Legit 2C IMO with solid defensive chops and a history of chemistry with wingers somewhat similar stylistically to Kyrou/Holloway (Gaudreau/Tkachuk).

I’d imagine the acquisition cost would be relatively low, 30 years old with a large cap hit for a long time (including some signing bonuses and a NMC). Have to think he would be opening to waiving with Boston staring down the barrel of a re-whatever.

Boston has a few interesting center options. IMO they should aggressively retool and hope to contend again around the end of the Swayman/Pasta/Lindholm 1/Lindholm 2 contracts, but their ownership may think they're a piece or two away and refuse to sell.

You so rarely see guys sign and then get traded, so I'm not sure we could even get Lindholm, but Zacha would fit our needs. Great years playing under Monty, defensively responsible, a 2/3C tweener who can play up or down depending on Dvorsky's development. With Boston retooling, maybe he's a guy we can get for our first instead of losing guys off the roster.

I'd say Mittelstadt makes as much sense as Zacha, but something just seems off there. Colorado picks him up in a big trade, he plays great, signs long-term, starts the season well and is then shipped at the deadline for a vet at the same position? Doesn't add up from here, but I trust our scouts if they can explain his weird last 18 months.

 

[Reality Czech]

I don't mean just on these boards.


It would be a good thing if Holloway ends up better than Kyrou, and that doesn't affect the fact that Kyrou's contract is going to be a bargain in the future barring a big drop off in play.


I'm not so sure you understand how much the cap is increasing. Let's use Tarasenko as an example. Kyrou has a lesser cap hit percentage than Tarasenko's contract had, and it will be significantly less as each year goes by because the cap did not rise even close to as much over the duration of Tarasenko's contract. For reference, the salary cap increased just 11.1 million over the entirety of Tarasenko's 8-year contract. Starting next season, the salary cap will have already increased by 12 million since the 1st year of Kyrou's contract, and there are still 5 more seasons left for it to go up even more. By comparison, heading into the 3rd season of Tarasenko's contract, the cap had only risen 3.6 million (so over 3 times less).

The upper limit for the 2027-28 season is set at 113.5 million, that means the cap would have increased by 30 million heading into the 5th year of Kyrou's contract with 3 more seasons still to go. His cap hit percentage would be 7.2% in 27-28. Tarasenko heading into his 5th season had a cap hit percentage of 9.2%. In 27-28, that's the difference between a 10.4 million dollar contract and a 8.125 million dollar contract. Will Kyrou be worth 2.275 million less than Tarasenko was in the 5th year of his contract? I don't think so.

Tarasenko made more money because he was the better player. His contract was absolutely worth it. The difference between Tarasenko and Kyrou is not massive. Kyrou's contract is fair right now, great next season, and a steal after that. Even if he declines much sooner than predicted, like year 5 or 6 of his contract, instead of the contract being a steal, it will be "just" great, or at worst fair.

No need to be condescending. I'm aware of the cap increase, but teams still need to spend money wisely. I don't really need to Tarasenko comparison. If Kyrou continues to improve and isn't a playoff ghost in the future then it will be a good deal ("steal" is debatable). But if this is all he's ever going to be then it might be smarter to put our cap space elsewhere. I just don't see how people can claim it will be a "steal" in the future without knowing how his game will develop.

Regarding his criticism, if he gets more than the average player then there's probably a reason for it. It's not like people just decide to criticize him for no reason. It's because he often leaves a lot to be desired on the ice, and considering his salary expectations are higher for him than the average player. When he's on his game he's a great player, but the issue is he only seems to be on his game half the time.

 

[The Note]

Boston has a few interesting center options. IMO they should aggressively retool and hope to contend again around the end of the Swayman/Pasta/Lindholm 1/Lindholm 2 contracts, but their ownership may think they're a piece or two away and refuse to sell.

You so rarely see guys sign and then get traded, so I'm not sure we could even get Lindholm, but Zacha would fit our needs. Great years playing under Monty, defensively responsible, a 2/3C tweener who can play up or down depending on Dvorsky's development. With Boston retooling, maybe he's a guy we can get for our first instead of losing guys off the roster.

I'd say Mittelstadt makes as much sense as Zacha, but something just seems off there. Colorado picks him up in a big trade, he plays great, signs long-term, starts the season well and is then shipped at the deadline for a vet at the same position? Doesn't add up from here, but I trust our scouts if they can explain his weird last 18 months.

Mittelstadt in theory seems to make sense but I’d agree something seems not to be clicking. Ultimately if they acquired him, his age and contract is such that I could understand the thinking but wouldn’t be overly excited by it.

 

[Majorityof1]

No need to be condescending. I'm aware of the cap increase, but teams still need to spend money wisely. I don't really need to Tarasenko comparison. If Kyrou continues to improve and isn't a playoff ghost in the future then it will be a good deal ("steal" is debatable). But if this is all he's ever going to be then it might be smarter to put our cap space elsewhere. I just don't see how people can claim it will be a "steal" in the future without knowing how his game will develop.

Regarding his criticism, if he gets more than the average player then there's probably a reason for it. It's not like people just decide to criticize him for no reason. It's because he often leaves a lot to be desired on the ice, and considering his salary expectations are higher for him than the average player. When he's on his game he's a great player, but the issue is he only seems to be on his game half the time.

The steal in the future is not about his improvement in the future, but about how the percentage of the cap his contract takes up decreases as the cap rises. He's already a 30,70 guy. If that remains consistent and the cap rises, he'll still be a 30-goal scorer but will cost less relative the cap, hence the value if his deal goes up. You say you are aware of the cap increase than ask a question showing otherwise.

The reasons he gets criticized have nothing to do with on-ice performance. The people who criticize him fall into 2 camps: 1) those who show their true reasons by always bringing up off-ice stuff or 2) fans who love old-school physical players and not more modern players who rely on speed and skill but avoid contact. You are the latter, hence why Schenn who scores less relative to his salary and is far more inconsistent continually gets a pass from you.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Boston has a few interesting center options. IMO they should aggressively retool and hope to contend again around the end of the Swayman/Pasta/Lindholm 1/Lindholm 2 contracts, but their ownership may think they're a piece or two away and refuse to sell.

You so rarely see guys sign and then get traded, so I'm not sure we could even get Lindholm, but Zacha would fit our needs. Great years playing under Monty, defensively responsible, a 2/3C tweener who can play up or down depending on Dvorsky's development. With Boston retooling, maybe he's a guy we can get for our first instead of losing guys off the roster.

I'd say Mittelstadt makes as much sense as Zacha, but something just seems off there. Colorado picks him up in a big trade, he plays great, signs long-term, starts the season well and is then shipped at the deadline for a vet at the same position? Doesn't add up from here, but I trust our scouts if they can explain his weird last 18 months.

Of all of the “played for Monty before” guys, it will be cheapest to just sign Frederic if he makes it to free agency. It just happened with Lindholm, so it wouldn’t be unusual for a guy to not sign with a team that just traded for him. That will come down to whether he likes the vision EDM pitches to him, and whether he’s willing to take a slight discount to stay (or they suddenly find a bunch of cap space somewhere).

If we’re making a trade with BOS, Zacha makes the most sense. He’s pretty underrated.

 

[HighNote]

No need to be condescending. I'm aware of the cap increase, but teams still need to spend money wisely. I don't really need to Tarasenko comparison. If Kyrou continues to improve and isn't a playoff ghost in the future then it will be a good deal ("steal" is debatable). But if this is all he's ever going to be then it might be smarter to put our cap space elsewhere. I just don't see how people can claim it will be a "steal" in the future without knowing how his game will develop.

Regarding his criticism, if he gets more than the average player then there's probably a reason for it. It's not like people just decide to criticize him for no reason. It's because he often leaves a lot to be desired on the ice, and considering his salary expectations are higher for him than the average player. When he's on his game he's a great player, but the issue is he only seems to be on his game half the time.

I wasn't trying to be condescending, I genuinely believed you might not understand the gravity of the cap increases.

If Kyrou's game doesn't develop any further and this is the player we have for the remainder of his contract, he will be a steal going forward.

The reason he gets more criticism is because he doesn't play physical and his defense isn't amazing. Those attributes are more important to Blues fans for whatever reason, to the point that pretty much every player on the team needs to have them according to some, the cap hit just amplifies it.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I agree with most posters here that McLeod is the most pragmatic young center to trade for--we just have to hope that either he wants out of Buffalo or that Buffalo likes their center group enough without him. Honestly, I think they should keep him--Buffalo needs to prevent every goal they can. However, if they continue to be dumb...

On the RHD front, our defense is old...old old. Parayko is a stud but in the back nine of his prime. Fowler was incredible this year but is 33. Faulk is deteriorating in front of our eyes. Leddy hasn't looked the same all year. Suter can practically sign up for AARP. That leaves Broberg, who is amazing but only signed one more year, and Tucker, who I like a lot but just had a knee injury and has only recently shown promise. Also there's Kessel, who never really regained the magic last year and might not be a factor.

There is a real risk Broberg goes to market, or Fowler or Parakyo or Faulk or Leddy deteriorate further, and we are in a bad way on the back end in a flash.

IMO the more important add is to the blue line. While McLeod would be a great add, maybe you just sign Pius Suter/Brock Nelson instead and then focus on trading Bolduc or whoever else for that long-term defense addition. The bottom line is that I trust our scouting--if we think Clarke, Spence, Willander, Nemec or Morrow are affordable and can be that guy, we should pull the trigger. The future is now, old men.

Of course, if we can't rob someone blind again, maybe we ship out Faulk/Leddy for peanuts and then get a veteran stopgap better than what we have. Rasmus Anderssen wants out and I've always liked his game; Rasmus Ristolainen really turned it around last year and Philly is full rebuild. Maybe a non-Rasmus option is Dougie Hamilton from New Jersey, whose defensive logjam is absurd at this point. We almost got Sanheim for Krug a few summers ago (where would we be if we did?) and maybe a futures package and the chance to contend gets Sanheim to waive his NTC (he played with Parakyo in 4 nations too IIRC). People talk Dobson here, but with NYI about to draft Schaefer, maybe they are willing to shop Pulock or Pelech to facilitate a retool.

IMO you try and get one of the blue chip prospects and then inquire about, in order, Sanheim, Pulock, Anderssen, Ristolainen and Hamilton.

Or maybe history repeats itself and we trade 1/5th of the team for an elite 'final piece' defenseman from Vancouver. No way that backfires again...

Im not all that worried about Broberg. I think the team has bought itself some goodwill by tendering the offer sheet we gave him. Yes it was strategic, but we wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t think he was going to be a good piece for us. And to top it off, we trusted him to play a significant role. Obviously things can go very wrong, but I think we’re in a good spot with him.

I suspect we’ll see the team engage in extension discussions with both Broberg and Holloway. As a general rule it seems like Army likes to get his key players done early.

 

[Stealth JD]

i wonder how expensive it would be to trade from 19 to #9 or #10...would love to grab a center prospect that may fall such as McQueen, Martin or O'Brien. Otherwise, Nesbitt (6'4") or Reschney should be available at 19.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

i wonder how expensive it would be to trade from 19 to #9 or #10...would love to grab a center prospect that may fall such as McQueen, Martin or O'Brien. Otherwise, Nesbitt (6'4") or Reschney should be available at 19.

If the right guy falls, im in. Would easily give up one of our 2nd tier prospects to move up.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Im not all that worried about Broberg. I think the team has bought itself some goodwill by turning offer sheet we have him. Yes it was strategic, but we wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t think he was going to be a good piece for us. And to top it off, we trusted him to play a significant role. Obviously things can go very wrong, but I think we’re in a good spot with him.

I suspect we’ll see the team engage in extension discussions with both Broberg and Holloway. As a general rule it seems like Army likes to get his key players done early.

He’s earning money with his success in St Louis. He knows firsthand that not every situation is going to allow him to thrive. It would be pretty surprising if he can’t find an agreeable number with the Blues.

 

[Beauterham]

i wonder how expensive it would be to trade from 19 to #9 or #10...would love to grab a center prospect that may fall such as McQueen, Martin or O'Brien. Otherwise, Nesbitt (6'4") or Reschney should be available at 19.

I don't think we have an asset available to add to our first to move up to 9/10. Buffalo is probably the most realistic option to move up as they have more than enough picks/prospects, so 9 overall should be on the table for the right piece. However, they will want to add young NHL-ready players and I doubt we're willing to add Bolduc/Neighbours/Snuggerud. I cannot imagine they will accept a 'prospect package'.

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

I don't think we have an asset available to add to our first to move up to 9/10. Buffalo is probably the most realistic option to move up as they have more than enough picks/prospects, so 9 overall should be on the table for the right piece. However, they will want to add young NHL-ready players and I doubt we're willing to add Bolduc/Neighbours/Snuggerud. I cannot imagine they will accept a 'prospect package'.

God, could you imagine the fury from the Buffabros? “BUF trades #9 to STL for #19 and… Jakub Stancl.” They’d burn the city down.

 

[Stealth JD]

God, could you imagine the fury from the Buffabros? “BUF trades #9 to STL for #19 and… Jakub Stancl.” They’d burn the city down.

Maybe they'd take RHD Justin Faulk to move back 10 spots. They're hungry for vet RHD.

 

[WeWentBlues]

Maybe they'd take RHD Justin Faulk to move back 10 spots. They're hungry for vet RHD.

Might be workable if we accepted Zucker or another cap dump coming back the other way. EDIT - didn't realize Zucker put up 50 points last year. Probably not anywhere close to cap dump territory. Maybe it's RHD Connor Clifton coming back then.

The problem is Faulk has a full NTC that doesn't modify to partial NTC until July 1, after the draft. Yet another reason why the NHL's offseason schedule is so screwed up.

 

[Mike Liut]

If we had a stud 2-way 2c and a healthy Holloway, I’d put this roster up against anybody’s. We are close to being legit.

 

[ScratchCatFever]

Just for shits because there's no way they would move him right now, but what would it take to get Jarvis from Carolina? It would certainly be an overpay, given that he's a fan favorite just scratching the surface of his potential and is already a proven playoff performer. He's impressive to watch and doesn't back down from anyone.

 

[Xerloris]

The reason he gets more criticism is because he doesn't play physical and his defense isn't amazing. Those attributes are more important to Blues fans for whatever reason, to the point that pretty much every player on the team needs to have them according to some, the cap hit just amplifies it.

It's not that he doesn't play physical it's that it doesn't appear that he's able to handle physical play. Personally I think he was hurt this series but they claim he was healthy and if someone even touched him he just bailed on the play and gave up the puck. You can't win in the playoffs if you're not wiling to fight for possession.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

It's not that he doesn't play physical it's that it doesn't appear that he's able to handle physical play. Personally I think he was hurt this series but they claim he was healthy and if someone even touched him he just bailed on the play and gave up the puck. You can't win in the playoffs if you're not wiling to fight for possession.

I took Army’s comments about player health to be more along line that winners don’t make excuses, they play through and don’t complain. We clearly had several guys banged up, including Thomas and likely kyrou, but every team is dealing with that so he didn’t want to go there.

 

[stl76]

Just for shits because there's no way they would move him right now, but what would it take to get Jarvis from Carolina? It would certainly be an overpay, given that he's a fan favorite just scratching the surface of his potential and is already a proven playoff performer. He's impressive to watch and doesn't back down from anyone.

We can’t afford what it would take. I love Jarvis tho, one of my favorite players in the league.

 

[BleedBlue14]

Just for shits because there's no way they would move him right now, but what would it take to get Jarvis from Carolina? It would certainly be an overpay, given that he's a fan favorite just scratching the surface of his potential and is already a proven playoff performer. He's impressive to watch and doesn't back down from anyone.

I don't think there's a trade that doesn't involve Thomas that they would consider moving Jarvis for. I realistically don't think they'd have any interest in trading him anyways. Great young player signed long-term on a team that's competitive now, just not a recipe for a core guy to be moved.

 

[Wovenhand1976]

It seems like most teams are going to be aggressive this off-season. I just know that Army is going to fool one of all of these anxious-to-show-how-smart-I-am new GMs.

 

[Blanick]

There has been some talk about us pursuing Bennett but honestly I am not sure if we should get into that bidding war.

 

[Xanadude]

The more I think about it, I'm not sure we really should be anticipating two major trades this summer to address our roster holes. I mean, if someone is going to be as dumb as Drury and fall for another Buchnevich robbery, sure, go ahead. But without the cap being as much as an issue, GMs should rightfully ask for more when it comes to trades, and if we are needing to really pony up twice, that could strip our roster depth and farm system.

That's why I'm coming around to a competitive FA offer for Nelson or Bennett or Suter at C or Ekblad, Fabbro or Perbix on D--you try to get one of them, and the other position of need is the one you line up in a trade, more willing and able to pay a premium for a big upgrade. With the cap going up, an overpayment at a position of need is less of an anchor than it was in the last half-decade and we have plenty of cap space with Krug being sent off to the farm.

 

[TheOrganist]

Bennett is a great player. Someone will overpay for his services but he should be a solid 2C for at least the first half of his contract.