The St. Louis Blues just made an ill-fated trade in foresight, sending Zachary Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens for Logan Mailloux. On the surface, this one deserves a lot of criticism, given how much Bolduc grew with the Blues last season, putting up up 36 points and 19 goals in 2024-25, and looking like a brewing piece to a Blues core that surprised everyone.
Then, the trade happened for a kid who's played in eight career NHL games. Yeah, so unless the Blues are planning something big, I don't know what Armstrong was thinking here. I mean, this trade, at the moment, is completely lopsided.
Now, for the upside: Knowing Doug Armstrong and the way he likes to inject shock value into his offseason transactions - I'm looking at you two, Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg - maybe this wasn't such a bad idea.
But right now, neither myself nor anyone who roots for the Blues can make much sense of this one. If you can, feel free to let me know.
Dear Doug Armstrong: Please make this head-scratching trade worth it for Blues fans
Right now, Blues fans have every right to be furious after Armstrong traded someone who could've eventually transformed into a top-six player. No, Bolduc wasn't getting much more than fourth-line minutes last season, but talk about making the most out of them. He also wasn't afraid to land body checks, tallying 108 of them last season.
So, now it's Doug Armstrong's turn. If you want the fanbase to be a little more forgiving after this one, a big move is required reading. No more lopsided deals that do nothing but potentially take the team back a step.
As I'm finishing this piece up, NHL free agency is kicking off. And if Armstrong makes a bold move within the next hour or two, then maybe this article will be old news. For the sake of those who support this team year after year in Arch City, I hope that's the case.
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