St. Louis Blues: Top 3 Outcomes Of Signing Tyler Bozak

Something out of Armstrong’s magic bag

The third most likely outcome from all this is something we don’t even expect. Perhaps Armstrong has some trade worked out that we do not even expect.

As mentioned, nobody knew anything about the deal for Faulk until it happened. While it did not work out that initial season, the Blues still got the more talented player overall.

For all we know, the same thing could happen again. Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, but it does strike twice.

Most people, including several journalists who follow the matter, still believe Tarasenko is the one who will be traded. I am still not sold on that.

If Armstrong believes he will be a locker room cancer as much as the media seems to, he will find a way to deal with it. However, if he believes the team can co-exist, why trade away a guy who can help you win another Stanley Cup?

In a vacuum, i.e. remove this twisted narrative of fractured relationships, does a team that includes Bozak and Tarasenko improve the Blues immensely compared to a team with only one or neither? It is a personal bias talking if you answered no.

Even if Tarasenko is diminished, he can still provide 15-20 goals. That’s 15-20 you did not get last year and the Blues needed to add goals, not just replace them, which is what they’ve done when you compare the additions to the players lost.

So, maybe the Blues do something crazy. Maybe they keep all the mentioned players and trade out someone liked on the team, but still manage an upgrade. Maybe Marco Scandella is this trade’s Edmundson and the Blues bring in another quick defender or a third-line player with scoring upside.

Kyle Clifford seems like a lock for the fourth line right now. Perhaps a young player impresses in camp and the Blues deal off his $1 million cap hit. $100,000 is not a huge difference from the MacEachern scenario, but every dollar counts.

Ulimately, Bozak sticking around may signal the Blues have a potential deal for Tarasenko and it just needs all the i’s dotted. However, there are ways to keep him and get the last free agent signed in St. Louis too.