St. Louis Blues Trade Prospect: Max Pacioretty Evaluation

That time of year is fast approaching. The time of year is when the St. Louis Blues are mentioned with every trade possibility known to man. The latest is an interesting one.

The St. Louis Blues clearly have needs for their team going forward. As great of an opening to their season as they had, they have fallen off the wagon, just a bit. So, talk exists of the team looking to improve itself.

Even Doug Armstrong has come out and say he’ll improve this team if it makes sense for the franchise. However, the caveat to that is he claims the team is not interested in a rental player.

That could very well rule out a player we discussed long ago, Evander Kane. He will be a free agent this summer, so the Blues might shy away from that kind of deal.

With that under consideration, an interesting name has come to light. Due to the Montreal Canadiens struggles, their captain, Max Pacioretty has been named as a potential trade piece to be had, if the price is right.

So, of course, the Blues are listed as one of the potential suitors. If you look at his numbers alone, it would not be a bad deal.

Pacioretty has scored 30 or more goals and 60 or more points in five of the last six seasons. That kind of production does not grow on trees, so if you have a team willing to give it up, you jump at the chance.

Additionally, Pacioretty’s contract is not hard on the stomach. He is currently only saddled with a $4.5 million cap hit. Of course, that is not chump change but the Blues could do worse.

Kane has a cap hit of $5.2 million. $700,000 might not seem like a lot, but as close to the cap as the Blues are, every dollar counts.

There is reason to be apprehensive about a trade like this though. Pacioretty is not without a potential checkered past.

When the Canadiens shockingly traded P.K. Subban, fans were noticeably upset in Montreal. Adding to the confusion were reports that Pacioretty had as much to do with the trade as a player could.

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According to HockeyFeed.com, several insider sources claimed Pacioretty actively campaigned against Subban and turn players against him.

Say what you will about Subban – he is definitely no angel and the article details some of the things he did to put himself in such a position. However, do you really want a person on your team that will purposely try to get a fellow player discarded?

There are two sides to every coin and we cannot judge too harshly. For all we know, these things happen more often and it just does not come out. After all, hockey is not as big anywhere outside of Montreal (maybe Toronto, but you get it).

For me, personally, I’d be a hypocrite if this didn’t mean something big. Though it’s been brushed aside, rumors were strong that Alexander Steen had quite the role in the firing of Ken Hitchcock.

That did not sit well and the Pacioretty rumors don’t sit well. As with the legal system though, it is just an accusation. It’s just rumor.

Still, whether it is Kane, Pacioretty or Mike Hoffman, it all boils down to price.

Again, personally, Jordan Kyrou is too much to ask for. Now, I’d take Pacioretty over Hoffman if you told me there was zero doubt the Blues were making this deal with Kyrou included.

As said, you can’t turn down a 30 goal scorer. As much as I like him, Kyrou may not be a 30 goal scorer. However, the potential seems so high right now, it’s hard to convince this writer he needs to be dealt away.

This one is likely to have plenty of fans split. Our friends over at GameTime are heavily in favor of bringing in Pacioretty.

Next: Evaluating Mike Hoffman As A Blues Trade Prospect

Due to the rumors, he would be a big risk from my point of view. Locker rooms are a precarious situation where balance is key. The team would have to ask whether the risk is worth the potential production.

For fans, it usually is. In reality, that’s not always the case.

Time will tell and hopefully the rumors were untrue and Pacioretty has a better second half after a disappointing first, if this deal did come to pass.

As with every rumor this time of year, we all have to decide for ourselves.