St. Louis Blues: NHL Draft Moved, Free Agency Clarified

The NHL did some cleaning up regarding their offseason calendar dates. The St. Louis Blues now have a better idea how quickly things will move.

The St. Louis Blues won’t have much time between the draft and free agency to get much done. They are essentially on the clock regarding all their offseason moves right now.

The NHL had to do some reworking of their offseason calendar. Apparently, the league had scheduled the free agency period to begin October 9.

The problem with that is the NHL Draft was scheduled for October 9 as well. That would have created one heck of a mess for general managers such as Doug Armstrong, who is already under a lot of pressure.

Imagine trying to work out a trade on draft day that might net you some extra picks and then learning that one of the pieces you would have dealt has signed with another team. That’s a nightmare.

The league would never have actually let this happen. The fact it took them this long to notice is a bit odd though.

Clearly, they have their focus on the bubbles. The NHL has done a fantastic job of setting up and carrying out their playoffs, even if some of the things originally promised never came to be, such as the golf.

Regardless, this move just makes sense. Give both draft days their time in the light on October 6 and 7 and then get to work.

Armstrong and his fellow general managers will have to be especially sharp during the draft. That is basically the easiest time to pull off trades since everyone is in the mood and under the same pressure.

Trying to make all your picks and then possibly pull off a trade will become a lot more difficult if you try to wait until October 8. So, we could see a lot of wheeling and dealing at the draft so that 2020 picks can be used as sweeteners.

One Twitter user responded to the Bob McKenzie tweet asking why they would not do free agency first so you know what your draft needs are. It’s actually a decent question, but the answer is fairly simple.

Free agency is from October 9 until whenever the season starts, or potentially after that if there are hold outs. Trying to start free agency before the draft only works with the idea that most players sign on that first day. Some years that happens and some years it’s spread out much more.

Blues fans will be focused on what transpires prior to October 9. If Alex Pietrangelo gets to free agency, the common thinking is he will likely be gone.

Of course, Petro is not the only thing to watch. While the Blues might not have many, any players with clauses in their contracts have those kick in on the 9th too. For example, Jacob Trouba has his no-movement clause kick in on that day.

So, if the New York Rangers want to move him, they will have to do so before the 9th.

The offseason will hit lightspeed once the draft arrives. We know know when it’s all going to kick into gear.