St. Louis Blues 2022 Trade Deadline Grade Gets A C

The St. Louis Blues went into the 2022 NHL trade deadline knowing they needed some defensive help. However, there were problems with that premise from the start.

The issue the Blues ran into was that they needed a top-four defender and, quite frankly, given how the pairings have worked out, they needed a top-pair defender. If you get to the trade deadline and need a top-two defenseman, you’re already in a world of hurt.

Compiling the Blues troubles was this was a year when it was a seller’s market for defensemen. While the returns were not mind boggling, the truth was almost all contenders needed defensive help, which made it harder to achieve for a team like St. Louis.

The Blues were already behind the eight ball. Teams knew what they needed and also knew the Blues weren’t in a great negotiating position.

The Blues did not have cap space. This meant they had to ask teams to either take a current NHL player in return or for those teams to retain salary.

Many of the teams willing to trade were bottom feeders. That meant they were mainly interested in draft picks and prospects. Adding or re-acquiring salary was not a priority and, in some cases, actively frowned upon.

So, the Blues were left with an ever lessening pool of talent from which to draw from. I’ll give Doug Armstrong credit. He still pulled off a trade.

Whether we agree or even like the trade is another matter.  Also another matter is comparing the real deal to the rumors, though I’d rather this deal than some of those suggested.

St. Louis acquired Nick Leddy and Luke Witkowski from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Oskar Sundqvist, Jake Walman and a 2023 second round draft pick. Frankly, this trade gets a grade of a C in my book.

That’s not a reflection of Leddy in and of himself, but the overall aspect of the trade. There’s a lot of ideas behind the deal.

In terms of what the Blues gave up, it makes sense, but also seems odd.

What was lost

Sundqvist

Sundqvist may have been one of the biggest unsung heroes of the 2019 run to the Stanley Cup. Any of us that had doubts about why the Blues even bothered picking him up for Ryan Reaves had those questions erased.

He filled any role the team asked of him and was part of the best fourth line the team may have ever had. Despite playing predominantly on the fourth line, he still managed four goals and nine points in those playoffs.

Sunny, as he became known, was also a glue player. Though never a star, the team often still played worse when he was out of the lineup.

The social media consensus is that Sundqvist’s recurring trips to the injured list became too worrying, thus making his inclusion in the deal more palatable. This is a respectable take, but a little off the point.

Everyone has injuries and it’s not always a reason to send them away. David Perron looked like he might never be the same after his concussion at the hands of Joe Thornton, but every time we write him off, he storms back and scores a bunch of goals. Sundqvist might not be a scorer, but he was still an extremely versatile piece and also a good defensive player on a team a little short of defensive help, forward or blue liner.

Walman

Walman just became a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He will likely develop into a decent NHL player, but he may have always been on the outside, looking in, for the Blues.

No matter the team’s direction, Walman never seemed to quite fit the mold.

When the Blues had a big, strong defensive core, Walman was too young and too small. He was more likely to find his way into the team if/when the team started to transition to a more puck moving defense.

However, the Blues made a seismic shift in that direction almost all at once. While Walman was still developing in the minors, the Blues acquired Justin Faulk, Torey Krug and drafted a highly sought after prospect in Scott Perunovich.

In a very short span, the Blues became dominated by offensive defensemen. By the time Walman got a look, he was already too low in the pecking order. He became expendable.

Walman hadn’t yet become physical enough to fill that void and he wasn’t quite as skilled as those above him on the depth chart. Frankly, the move will probably be better for his career in the same way that it was better for Robby Fabbri to go to Detroit.

What the Blues got

Witkowski

If you have not heard of Luke Witkowski, you’re not alone. Frankly, if he ever suits up for the Blues, I’d be a little surprised.

The guy is 31 and played the vast majority of his career in the AHL. He has a grand total of one game played for the Red Wings this season.

He’s never played more than 34 games in any NHL season and that was pre-pandemic. The bottom line is this was a throw away inclusion.

St. Louis essentially picked him up to bolster Springfield and also have an NHL ready player in case their recent luck with injuries and illness continued. He’s not going to add anything and is only an emergency call up. He will not even join the team as Doug Armstrong said he will be immediately sent to the AHL.

Leddy

In a vacuum, if you told me Nick Leddy would become a member of the St. Louis Blues, I would mainly nod and say that’s fine. It’s not really something that moves the needle, but it’s a respectable pickup.

The issue with Leddy is not with the player himself. It’s more what the Blues will ask/require of him.

The positives of Leddy are there. First, and perhaps foremost, he brings championship experience. Though the 2019 Blues won with no Cup winners on the squad, you still cannot discount a fresh perspective of someone that has been through the battles and come out successful.

Leddy is not an offensive force, but he’s a good puck mover, both with the puck and passing it.

He also eats up minutes. In 12 years in the league, Leddy has averaged 21 minutes of ice time, or more, nine times. One of those seasons he was injured and he was a rookie in one of the others.

Interestingly, the Blues need to make it crystal clear he’s not expected to put up points. Somewhat coincidentally, and somewhat not, Leddy’s best offensive years have been his worst plus/minus years. His career second best offensive season – 10 goals and 42 points – saw him end up a whopping minus-42. That has more to do with the mindset of that season’s New York Islanders, but it bears keeping in mind.

For my perspective, the negative from Leddy is that he’s kind of just there. He’s not an elite defender, but he’s fine. However, he’s more of a positional defender that makes smart plays.

The Blues were in serious need of a big body that was going to get a little nasty in front of the net. Leddy is not big at 6’0 tall and just over 200 lbs. He’s not very mean either. At best, he might have a slightly bigger attitude than Jay Bouwmeester had.

He doesn’t block a ton of shots. He doesn’t throw a bunch of hits. Leddy brings some intangibles that won’t be seen on the stat sheet, but those are hard to quantify when assessing trades.