There’s a question brewing around the St. Louis Blues this season: Are the Blues buyers or sellers at this year’s trade deadline?
That question is about as easy to answer as the Fermi Paradox. Incidentally, whoever can find an answer to said paradox could become the world’s richest person.
While answering the Blues Paradox won’t make someone the world’s richest person, it would likely land them the heartfelt gratitude of the organization and perhaps a nice check.
That being said, the short answer is the Blues are likely to stand pat. The club is in a type of suspended state in which it is neither a contender nor a pretender. Needless to say, that’s not a good place to be in.
Still, the Blues are in that mushy middle right now in which their season could go either way. A solid winning streak could catapult them into a playoff spot. A sour streak could end their season. Unless either one happens within the next two weeks, the likeliest outcome is that the Blues will stand pat.
The only reasonable explanation for selling off assets at this point is if desperate teams wow them with offers for veteran pieces like Justin Faulk or Jordan Kyrou. Similarly, Brayden Schenn will remain in place unless a team is willing to knock the pants off Doug Armstrong.
That’s unlikely, not because Schenn’s not worth it, but because few contenders can spare the pieces to make it happen.
Now, the long answer to that question depends on where the organization sees the team heading down the line.
Blues likely to avoid becoming sellers amid succession
The long answer depends on how the organization views the team. The organization seems bullish on its young core. Jake Neighbours looks solid. Philip Broberg has taken great steps along with Joel Hofer. Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud have the makings of top-six scorers. Meanwhile, Dalibor Dvorsky and Otto Stenberg could become stars in their own right.
It’s also worth pointing out that Robert Thomas is still 26. So, a seemingly down year is nothing to write home about at this point.
While the blue line is mostly of the veteran persuasion, it can still toe the line for a couple of more seasons. That situation means that the Blues will try their best to avoid becoming sellers.
The rationale is simple. Next offseason, the team’s succession plan for the GM position will go into effect. Alex Steen will take over. And, according to chatter, incumbent GM Doug Armstrong does not want to hand over a decimated roster. If anything, Armstrong wants to hand over the club with plenty of dry powder.
That means giving Steen plenty of veteran pieces he can trade if needed. In contrast, trading everyone now would leave Steen with little ammo. If he needed to make changes next season, he might not have tradeable pieces to make deals work. Moreover, shipping out everyone available could plunge the Blues into a type of dark age.
The only plausible reason the Blues would have for selling this season would be a 10-game losing streak or something to that effect. Even then, the sell-off might be limited to a couple of players like Kyrou, Faulk, and Pavel Buchnevich.
Ultimately, the Blues are like one of those underperforming stocks. Their value hasn’t taken off, exasperating investors. Fans, like investors, want to see quick results. But sometimes, patience is a virtue. As long as the underlying fundamentals are good, the stock could rebound nicely.
Yes, there have been times when the Blues’ fundamentals haven’t been very good. But the signs are there. Maybe this season won’t be the breakthrough everyone expects. But the Blues should be much better in the next couple of seasons as younger pieces gain more valuable NHL experience.