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St. Louis Blues: David Runblad Was The Magic Man

By Todd Panula

Oct 9, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman David Rundblad (5) watches from the bench during the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Blackhawks defeat the Stars 3-2 in the overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman David Rundblad (5) watches from the bench during the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Blackhawks defeat the Stars 3-2 in the overtime shootout. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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David Rundblad has a habit of turning deals into magic. He did it for the St. Louis Blues. Unfortunately for him, he’s usually the one leaving.

David Rundblad is almost one of those poor souls you feel sorry for. While he’s been able to live the dream of many youngsters, playing in the NHL, he’s also been on the short end of some deals that have brought new blood and better fortunes for the teams he left.

The St. Louis Blues drafted Rundblad with the 17th overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft. They obviously thought highly of him to spend a first round pick on the defender.

However, he never amounted to what they wanted from him. The mid-sized defender never played a game in the ‘note and got traded to the Ottawa Senators in 2010.

Why would a summer trade featuring a player who never suited up for the Blues be of any interest? Well, the Blues got the first round pick of the Senators in return. The Blues proceeded to turn that pick into Vladimir Tarasenko.

While Tarasenko’s career is still in the budding stage and he could be much more than he already has been, he is already the face of the franchise. He’s already the man the team is building its offense around. He’s already the player that many hope will change the fortunes of the long tortured fanbase that wants to take that next step.

It’s all because of Rundblad. Ok, it has something to do with the Blues staff being slick enough to turn a player they seemed to have no interest in using into a franchise pick, but still.

Poor Rundblad wouldn’t have this be a one time freak incident either. After spending the 2010-11 season in Sweden and much of 2011-12 in the AHL, he finally cracked the NHL code.

It was a bit short lived with the Senators though. They traded away the ill-fated defender to Phoenix. In return, the Senators got Kyle Turris.

Turris was a steady player. He played in about 2/3 of the games per season and was a solid guy. He averaged slightly under 26 points per season for his first four years. Not bad.

Well, in his first full season with Ottawa, he exploded for two seasons with 58 and 64 points. In that same time period, Rundblad barely had a cup of coffee in the NHL.

He played in just 17 games in 2013-14 and was traded from the Coyotes to the Chicago Blackhawks. He did manage to find his way into 47 games with the ‘Hawks and 5 playoff games en route to Chicago’s third Stanley Cup title in six years. Surely that was his positive karma right? Surely Phoenix couldn’t make this trade thing three for three.

Well, that has yet to be decided, but it didn’t end with a happy ending for Rundblad. His contract was terminated by the Blackhawks in the summer of 2016. He played a total of 63 games with the Blackhaws before it all came crashing down.

Also, the Coyotes turned the draft pick they received in the Rundblad deal into Christian Dvorak. While Dvorak is not guaranteed to be an NHL star, he has the skills to be a fantastic player and complete the Rundblad triumvirate.

Dvorak has scored a total of 230 points in two seasons in the OHL. He’s also playing for the London Knights, who are known for having some rather successful NHL alumni.

So, chances are Dvorak will complete the circle. Rundblad is the key to success. All you have to do is acquire him and translate that into a future trade and you’ll have a winning formula.

In reality, it’s a bit sad for a guy to get dealt around so much and then the rug pulled out in Chicago. Yes, he’s done more than most average people dream of, but still to be looked at as being a key to success when you leave is a bit harsh.

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It’s all very coincidental. However, the teams that got their new players aren’t complaining. The Blues are more than grateful to turn a player they never even used into the face of a franchise. Those other squads aren’t crying even crocodile tears either.

Here’s hoping he hooks on with someone. For his sake, hopefully they don’t deal him away for the next team star, but it does seem to have a proven track record.

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