As the trade deadline of March 2nd draws nearer and nearer, we at Bleedin’ Blue decided to recap the day’s trade news for you. We focus on the St. Louis Blues trade rumors, as well as how other teams’ movements affect our Blues. This feature will run every day until trade deadline.
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Recap
Yesterday we covered the Pittsburgh-Leafs trade of Sill for Winnick, the Hurricanes-Jets trade of Tlusty for a pair of picks, and the Hurricanes-Kings trade of Sekera for McKeown. The big takeaway?
"Pittsburgh just got tougher in their bottom six. So while this might not seem to be a huge trade, Reaves and co. will definitely be given some extra bruises, courtesy of Pittsburgh, who seem to be stockpiling heavy hitters for a cup run.To add to that, the Kings are building strength through the back end. Sekera will fit in nicely on the Kings’ blue line, especially now that they seem to have finally woken up from their season-long nap."
Next: Wednesday's NHL Trade Recap
New News
Photo from NHL.com
To start the horse race, the St. Louis Blues traded Columbus future considerations for former Blue Note player, Adam Cracknell. Cracknell is a large, imposing forward who has never spent more than half a season in the NHL. He currently sits at 17 games in the 2014-2015 season, 0 goals, and 1 assist, with a +/- of -8. Honestly, this is a bit of a mystery trade, despite fans enjoying Cracknell’s presence. His play is solid, but he was frequently a healthy scratch while in St. Louis.
What have the Blues given up? They don’t even know yet. The one thing this trade does speak to is something we reported on yesterday: Hitchcock losing the players.
Cracknell, by all accounts, doesn’t make problems and can be a settling presence in the locker room. Could this be why the Blues wanted him back at this juncture?
Photo from NHL.com
Next up, the Leafs and Blackhawks traded Spencer Abbott for T.J. Brennan. Neither are players who have spent significant time in the NHL, and both will report to their AHL affiliates. How will this affect the Blues? It won’t, for the time being. But it’s a sign that the Leafs and the Hawks are gearing up for some major trades. Keep an eye on both those teams at deadline.
Photo from NHL.com
In the biggest surprise trade of the day, Jaromir Jagr was traded (as he thought he would be) from the New Jersey Devils to the Florida Panthers in an attempt to lend weight to one of the least relevant teams in the NHL. Not bad, simply…missing a fanbase. And some stars.
Jagr was sold down the river (heh) in exchange for a pair of pretty decent picks. Honestly, the only thing I’m surprised at is how poorly the Devils made a player like Jagr work in their system.
How will this affect the Blues? It likely won’t for this season. The Blues will not cross paths with the Panthers again, unless something goes terribly wrong in regards to the playoff teams. But Jagr is a force to be reckoned with, and if he sticks around Florida they may very well be a formidable opponent next season.
Photo from NHL.com
The day ended with a trade between the Blue Jackets and the Maple Leafs. They swapped two players who were unable to play for different reasons — Clarkson because the Leafs kept scratching him after his scoreless streak, and Horton for medical reasons. Still, both teams must have felt they were getting something. Building towards next season, perhaps?
How does this affect the Blues? Again, it doesn’t for this season. Next season may be a different story, but this is a narrative to keep an eye on.
Feel like we missed something? Tweet us at @BleedinBlueFS and clue us in!