The St. Louis Blues have some of the best fans in the entire sport, if not the entire country. However, despite their loyalty and passion, there are also some that just don’t have a clue.
Those that know me, or at least have been reading this space long enough, know that I do my best not to knock other people. Everyone has their opinion and it’s usually no less valid than anyone else’s.
However, there are some fans of the St. Louis Blues that just live way off the deep end in some sort of fantasy land. As much as I share their passion for the St. Louis Blues and want the team to make good deals that will eventually bring the Stanley Cup to our city and have a parade down Market Street, I wonder where their head is at and if they need psychiatric help.
The latest example of this is involving the ever present, Kevin Shattenkirk trade rumors. People keep wanting Rick Nash on the Blues. First off, this isn’t 2010 and Nash is not the same player he was.
Even if I was not against the trade, it would be very difficult to pull off. The Rangers would have to eat a large section of his sizable contract to get things to even out.
Sure, that’s not impossible. Teams wanting to get certain deals off their books in terms of the cap are usually willing to help. However, that is just with a straight up swap. I’ve seen several posts online thinking that the Blues need to get several pieces in return for Shatty.
Can someone please explain how that is even possible? The Blues are up against the cap as it is. If they could somehow convince the Rangers to pay for some of Nash’s contract, they still wouldn’t have any room. Perhaps they could get some prospects, but then we have to ask what Shattenkirk’s value really is.
He’s a very good offensive defenseman with the capability to quarterback the powerplay. Yet, his defensive abilities have been called into question lately and he was often seen as a defensive liability by the fans during the postseason.
While it’s literally impossible to label a certain idea as coming from the fans, since that is such a wide ranging group, filled with opinions coming from every angle, there was a general consensus that many were quite willing to dump Shattenkirk. Well, players that aren’t values, whether by teams or the fans, don’t usually bring in this huge haul that many are calling for.
The same could be said for Patrik Berglund or other players that have drawn the ire of the faithful over the years. On one hand, people bash the players left and right and say they’re terrible. On the other hand, they want them traded for big names.
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That’s not how things work. If you don’t think someone like Berglund or Shattenkirk has value for your team, then why would other teams think they have value? I understand that St. Louis pulled off the Lou Brock trade where they got an all timer for basically nothing, but that’s not the norm. That’s not even an occasional occurrence.
Teams don’t usually try to just dump players unless one side is trying to drop salary or the other side is trying to get above the cap floor. Neither would be the case with the Rangers or the Blues, so these fantasy deals that keep popping up are just that.
I’m not saying a trade for Nash is impossible. The numbers crunchers for both sides would find a way to get it done, if both sides really want those players. But it’s not nearly as cut and dry as so many make it out.
There simply isn’t enough cap room if people are talking about only giving up one player. If you package a couple players and get Nash in return is much more likely and also much less palatable.
Everyone wants to be the GM. It’s one of the biggest drawbacks of fantasy sports, in my humble opinion. Every Tom, Dick and Harry thinks they know better than the people that have made careers in the business, simply because they don’t agree with the decisions they are making.
Maybe the Blues will make a blockbuster deal and maybe they won’t. Right now, that’s not the issue. Some just need to get their heads out of the clouds and realize the true value of certain people compared to the esteem they hold the player on the block.
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Trading isn’t an exact science, but there is a skill to it and it takes more than just plugging a couple names into EA Sports NHL franchise and hitting the swap button. It’s not just going on with Blues fans, but right now we seem to have more than our fair share of the crazies.