The St. Louis Blues were not quiet prior to the roster freeze for the Olympic break. They dealt Nick Bjugstad to the New Jersey Devils for Thomas Bordeleau and a conditional fourth-round pick.
That wasn’t the only trade to happen around the NHL, as the New York Rangers decided to break the internet with their move. Star forward Artemi Panarin was traded to Los Angeles for Liam Greentree and a conditional third-round pick. The Breadman then signed a two-year extension for $11 million AAV.
The silver lining of that trade is that it just set back the demands for just about every team willing to trade when the trade deadline approaches. As of now, the Rangers have not gotten a whole lot back for their best forward since Jaromir Jagr donned the Blueshirt.
This trade also impacted Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong, as now, the return he had hoped for with trading away these core pieces might have been discounted heavily. Those reported three first-round draft picks for Robert Thomas might have been slashed to a sole first-round pick.
The idea of moving defenseman Justin Faulk and captain Brayden Schenn might have gotten a bit harder as well, especially if Panarin’s return was as low as it was. The market might not be too enticing for Armstrong to pull the trigger and send this Blues franchise into its next era.
But, with another late loss against Dallas, this team has shown it is not enough. This team cannot finish hockey games; injuries have been a killer, with nobody able to step up to the plate, and the mindset of this team is that they are underwhelming at best. This season has been an eye-sore, and there is no way for it to get better once the regular season resumes following the Olympics.
Armstrong has to wave the white flag, and do it quickly, before an even worse trade than the Panarin to LA deal arises.