Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, the fallout from it is starting to make waves throughout the National Hockey League. Every night you see the positives and negatives of each team, and whether or not the moves made were the right choice.
Bleacher Report put out a fantastic piece detailing every team's trade deadline antics, and what grade they got for it. As you scroll down, you finally reach the St. Louis Blues, and the blurb of text is 100% right. The Blues did nothing special, and well, really nothing at all.
Blues didn't make a splash, but didn't bury themselves either
The Blues understandably played the deadline safe. Their current standing indicated that they were on the bubble of the playoffs, with really no way of labeling themselves as buyers or sellers. Hence, there was no need to make any moves at all.
General Manager Doug Armstrong did field some calls, however, especially for one of the more sought-after players at this year's trading bonanza. Brayden Schenn, the captain of the Blues, was constantly in the media about whether or not he would be traded. His no-trade clause put the Blues in a bit of a pickle to move him, as Schenn decided to waive it and move on. Toronto called, and Schenn proved he was the captain of this team by not answering their call.
After the dust settled, the main takeaway from the day was that both Armstrong and Head Coach Jim Montgomery were in agreeance that this team is what it is. They will win with this squad, or they will lose. It was that simple, and the Blues will ultimately benefit from it.
If the Blues can make up the ground and sneak into the playoffs, great. They did it without surrendering players or picks that could jeopardize the next season or the future after that. That should be considered a win.
Just because the Blues didn't land a superstar, or a big fish on the market, it isn't a bad thing. It may have saved the Blues future.