St. Louis Blues And Edmonton Oilers Continue Their Dance

The St. Louis Blues keep shopping and the Edmonton Oilers keep coming up as potential trade partners. Will it actually happen though?

The St. Louis Blues have been in discussions with the Edmonton Oilers ever since any word broke out about a possible Kevin Shattenkirk trade. Since the beginning, they have been the team that most fans seem to want to pull something from.

Other names have popped up as well of course. Teams like the New York Rangers come up every now and then or perhaps even the Calgary Flames. It was a bit surprising that the Blues did not attempt to package Shattenkirk with Brian Elliott in an attempt to get both picks and an extra player. That never materialized – if it was ever even a real option – and the Blues only sent the goaltender north of the border.

The team that’s popped up the most in the lower-48 has been Boston. The Bruins still remain a very viable option, although what could be a return from them now is more of a mystery. For the longest times, people assumed that the Blues were interested in Boston’s 14th overall pick in the draft and might be willing to swap players as well.

As we all know by now, the Blues didn’t really work any magic at the draft other than the Elliott deal and Shattenkirk is still on the market. It seems almost a certainty that Shattenkirk will not be a member of the Blues come the beginning of the season and at this point that may be for the best.

The Blues do not want to get fleeced in any deals and are smart to hold on to Shatty if they do not feel they are getting a proper return. However, the longer this drags out (especially given the fact that both the player, agent and team have all said they know he is likely gone) the more messy it gets and the worse it is for all parties.

So, what’s the hold up with Edmonton? They have been rumored for the longest and keep popping up, yet nothing gets done. Who wants what and which side isn’t budging?

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Well, it may be the Blues. According to rumor, the Blues want either Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Leon Draistaitl or some combination thereof. The Oilers are apparently more than willing to give up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

From my own point of view, it’s just a matter of get the deal done. There were several comments online that people would rather have Hall and that’s understandable. He’s shown a little more during his career and you should never pass up on a pure scorer if you can get one.

However, if push comes to shove and the Blues can only get Nugent-Hopkins, then why would you ever consider holding out? The Blues need help at center. If you have him, you can either plug him into the top line spot or make a decision between him and Paul Stastny as your top line center.

Either way, you can move Jori Lehtera off the top line spot and get a little more speed and playmaking ability to go along with Vladimir Tarasenko. It’s all well and good that Lehtera and Tarasenko are friends, but it has not been quite the partnership that many had hoped for and a higher quality playmayker might be just what the doctor ordered for the Blues.

It is clear that the Blues and Oilers have things in the works. The Blues are obviously hoping that the Oilers sign Milan Lucic because that gives them an excess of centers and wingers and the Blues can be a little more choosy.

Either player would be a great return. Shattenkirk is a good player and a top powerplay man, but his defensive skills in the 2016 playoff run have made him more expendable for the Blues. St. Louis has always needed more scoring punch and the Oilers are looking for that blueliner to help out their powerplay and get the puck moving to their talented forwards.

So, why not just get the deal done? It may not be long until something clicks. If the Lucic deal is that big a part of it, then clearly both teams are waiting until July 1 to see what pieces move in a potential swap.

At this point though, as much as Boston has been in the mix, if things seem advanced to this point with Edmonton, it would be disappointing if it did not work out with the Oilers. They have the NHL players that would give the most bang for the Blues. Boston seems more ready to deal prospects and the Blues are in win-now mode even though they are still looking forward.

Next: Kyle Brodziak Signing Provides Blues Depth

It’s time to just get this one done. Get as much as you can and don’t give in, but if Nugent-Hopkins is the best return then that’s not bad. The Blues would be a better team no matter which name they got out of the rumored choices, so it’ll be interesting to see whether this actually materializes or the teams just keep playing footsie.