Blues 2024 Off-Season Trade Proposals Thread

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I disagree with a lot of the robbing peter to pay paul arguments. It's much easier to make a trade for a top 6 NHL winger or even 1st line NHL winger than a top pair NHL dman. And we can leave Jiricek aside, so we don't focus on a specific player, but just the player type. Either a very high end NHL D prospect or a young NHL dmen that has legitimate #1 upside, but hasn't quite hit true #1 status yet. I'd feel much more confident replacing what Kyrou brings in a trade or free agent signing or internally than I would acquiring that #1 dman. We've proven time after time that we can acquire 1st line offensive forwards and top 6 forwards. Buchnevich, O'Reilly, Schenn, Perron. It's finding the #1 centers, defensemen, and goalies that can carry you that is the bigger challenge.

This isn't me advocating for moving Kyrou, simply that if there is a scenario where a team has a Jiricek type and they believe they need a Kyrou type, our management should seriously consider that option.

You make good point. Still, I think kyrou is too valuable to deal for a pure maybe. I’d want someone who has shown at least flashes of being top nhl d. I’d be fine trading a top forward prospect for jiricek, but there are too many questions with him to deal kyrou. Nemec I likely would.

 

[Celtic Note]

I think any willingness to trade Kyrou has to be rooted in a firm belief that Snuggy's shot is good enough to take over the 'left circle one-time threat' on the top PP unit the instant he grabs a full time NHL job.

Let's assume that Kyrou plays out his contract in St. Louis, Snuggy signs with the Blues at the conclusion of the NCAA season this year. I'm pretty damn comfortable that Snuggy establishes himself as a top 9 player by the end of the 2025/26 season in that scenario and I think that is a fairly reasonable assumption.

Given that assumption, how long does Kyrou hold onto the spot in the left faceoff circle on our top PP unit? Because I think that Snuggy's one-timer is currently better than Kyrou. Neighbours is better suited to the net front presence than Kyrou is. Thomas' playmaking and faceoff ability are far too valuable to keep off the top PP unit. Buch is now locked up long term and is solid from the right circle (and I like a lefty there more than a righty). That's 4 forwards. Is the long term plan to run a 5 forward PP unit to keep Kyrou on it?

In a future where Thomas, Kyrou, Neighbours, Buch, and Snuggy all spend the next 5 years in our organization, I am pretty confident that you run into a "problem" regarding who becomes the odd man out on PP1. That is great problem to have. By itself, it absolutely isn't a reason to trade someone. However, I think that it does address a good chunk of the 'how do we replace Kyrou's scoring' question when you think about moving him.

Snuggy absolutely isn't ready to replace Kyrou's role/scoring 1 for 1. Odds are good that he will never be able to replace Kyrou's role/scoring at 5 on 5 long-term. This post is not to say that we can comfortably bank on Snuggy to simply replace Kyrou's production (short or long term). Snuggy will never skate like Kyrou and I feel pretty confident that he will never match Kyrou's (non-shooting) skill with the puck.

But I do think that Snuggy's shot is currently good enough to contribute to a top NHL PP unit and it is pretty reasonable to pencil him in as an adequate replacement for Kyrou on the PP in a world where we move Kyrou for D.

I am not sure I would ever make a decision based on PP ability unless our PP was so horrific that not fixing it would be detrimental.

I also wouldn‘t look at it from a purely goal scoring perspective. Snuggy may score goals, but does he make the PP worse because his play making ability is significantly less of a capability?

I really want to see something that indicates Snuggy or Bolduc can do anything projectable to Kyrou in the NHL before dealing him (outside of a clear “ you have to make that trade” type deal). To date, I haven’t seen that from either and I like both guys.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

So, Kyrou left dot PP2. All better.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

EF on 32 Thoughts says we were in on both Necas (obviously) and Cam Fowler. So that is another Defenseman we have been linked to outside of Weeger and Broberg.

 

[simon IC]

Closed—2024-2025 thread up.

2024-2025 Blues Trade Proposals Thread.

Continue ...

forums.hfboards.com