St. Louis Blues May Get Nothing For Kevin Shattenkirk

As we approach the March 1 NHL trade deadline, the St. Louis Blues have some hard decisions to make. Most prominent among those is whether to trade Kevin Shattenkirk and what return is acceptable.

The St. Louis Blues have some really tough decisions to make as we creep up on the trade deadline. March 1 is when the clock strikes midnight and when the St. Louis Blues have to decide whether they are going to be the belle of the ball or turn back into a pumpkin.

As we press on, Blues fans may need to come to the harsh realization that we may get nothing for Kevin Shattenkirk. That is not to say the team will not deal him away, but all the talk of players in return seems more and more unrealistic.

As fans, we sometimes cling to the past like stereotypical old people yearning for yesteryear. Somehow everything was always better the way we imagined it was back then.

That’s how the NHL trade deadline is. The reality is true for some of us that are a bit older. I remember the days of Ron Caron where big-time deals were made for the hell of it.

Too often Caron’s meddling disrupted the team and may have cost them chances at Stanley Cup runs when they had some truly special players. Nevertheless, the fact remains that trades were commonplace and the Blues were almost always involved.

Now, despite the constant stream of rumors we latch onto, there are few trades made in the grand scheme of things. Of course, there are always deals made. There are always deals made by rivals that make fans throw up their arms wondering why we can’t hook a fish.

When you look at the overall landscape though, the blockbuster deadline deal has gone the way of the dodo for the most part though. The week before and the day of the NHL draft is now when the most big names end up moving.

Blues fans will, of course, lament the fact Shattenkirk was not moved back then. Trading for a draft pick was much more palatable then when the prospect of moving up in a rather deep draft was supposedly available.

In the end, Doug Armstrong decided his demands were not going to be met no matter what chatter we heard. So, he held onto his prized piece in hopes that the season would bear fruit.

It has not. It probably will not.

Whether we like it or not, teams seem perfectly willing to wait until the summer when Shattenkirk can be claimed as a free agent. Despite the litany of teams in playoff position needing a defender, nobody seems willing to work out a sign and trade.

Thus the Blues are stuck. They can either keep Shattenkirk in the vague hope that another playoff run can manifest. They could also trade him and get what will likely be no more than a prospect and a draft pick.

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That’s where it gets sticky. How high would the pick be? How ready is the prospect? Was the prospect highly touted or will the Blues have to do a ton of grooming? What is acceptable to fans?

There is no definitive answer to that last question since everyone has differing opinions on something as simple as whether chocolate ice cream is good or not. You can’t get a consensus because everyone has different tastes.

There are just too many things that don’t jive in my head. On KMOX, Mark Spector of SportsNet talked about how Kris Russell and Adam Larsson have made such a difference to Edmonton.

Russell is a hard worker, but middle-of-the-road talent. So how can Shattenkirk not be more highly coveted?

On the flip side, Spector said the Blues would take a huge hit dealing Shattenkirk because he’s such a good defenseman. He’s a good player but defenseman, not so much.

Against the Florida Panthers, Shattenkirk’s constant turnovers led to the Panther’s first goal and several chances. He is constantly giving the puck away and his positioning leaves much to be desired.

The guy is a big difference on the power play. However, if that is the sole reason to hang onto him, then the Blues have some real issues anyway.

At this point, he’s not worth the money he wants to the Blues. He is worth that money to several other teams though, but they all seem willing to wait it out.

For me, I don’t want picks. A prospect might be stomachable if it is someone the Blues could expect to play either next season or the next. St. Louis needs to keep an eye on the future, but they already have several of their own prospects that are a few seasons away. There does need to still be some here and now taken into account.

The disappointing thing is there just seems to be no hope. National pundits don’t know everything, especially when it comes to smaller to mid-sized markets. However, there is just so much talk of the Blues not getting a nice haul from a trade that you have to believe that’s what the case is.

Whether you want to blame Armstrong for his inability to pull the trigger or Shattenkirk for nixing what was rumored to be a deal to Edmonton because he wants to play out east, we arrive where we are now. Blame doesn’t help the Blues at this very moment.

Call for Armstrong’s job if you must. I’m still a believer in the guy, but I couldn’t blame anyone for being on the other side.

So what do we do? It’s frustrating as hell to see the team stuck this way.

Next: Jake Allen Is Still The Blues Best Option

You can’t give up on this season with the team playing much better. You can’t plan on a playoff run either without reinforcements. Planning for the future is prudent, but it’s hard to sell when you’re still in good playoff position.

It’s an unenviable situation. Armchair GM’s have all the answers, but you can’t force other teams to give up what we want.

So, one way or the other we may have to accept getting very little or possibly nothing in return. I hope for a big surprise, but it doesn’t look like there’s a rainbow at the end of these clouds.

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