In the first of hopefully many trades made by the St. Louis Blues, Matt Luff was traded to the New York Islanders for Julien Gauthier. Gauthier will report to Springfield, and the idea here is that he did have some NHL experience with the Isles, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes and the Ottawa Senators.
Gauthier has not played in the NHL since appearing for one game last season, on October 19, 2024. He, as well as Luff, is around the same age at 28-years-old.
Luff, who appeared in five games this season for the Blues, moves to Long Island. He had a goal this season, representing the Blue Note, on December 12, 2025, against Chicago in a 3-2 victory.
This trade does not have much significance in what direction General Manager Doug Armstrong is trying to go in, as it is merely an AHLer swap. The financials do not really change much for either side, either.
Eventually, Gauthier might get his shot with the Blues before the end of the season, but that might not be until the last remaining games. He is a Unrestricted Free Agent at the end of this season.
Best of luck to Luff in his endeavors with the Islanders organization, and welcome Gauthier to the ‘Lou.
What do you think Armstrong’s plans are with this trade? Is this the first in a flurry of trades over the next week and change? Will Gauthier be re-signed at some point and be a part of the Blues' future?