The St. Louis Blues have a lot of decisions to make over the next few weeks. The Trade Deadline on March 7 is coming faster with every game, and there are some players that are going out there and playing for their residence in St. Louis.
With that said, the Blues defensive core could use a serious shake-up if they have any consolation of making a deep playoff run for the next few years. There are some veteran pieces, solid and experienced, that could be beneficial elsewhere to other teams. On this roster, two names jump off the page, and both could be useful trade bait to help clear up cap space and get some younger talent.
Let's discuss who they are., and funny enough, they are the on the same defensive pair.
Nick Leddy and Ryan Suter
The pairing is Nick Leddy and Ryan Suter. If the Blues truly want to fix this blue line, this is a great place to start.
Leddy, who was out for a good majority of the season, hasn’t contributed many positives since his return on February 4. In the five games since, he has been consistently in the low light of the game. For instance, he has 16 turnovers, which paired up against his complete 82-game season in 2023-24, when he had 38 giveaways. Nearly half of his turnovers from a year ago, in nearly an eighth of the amount of games played.
Suter is a different scenario than Leddy. Leddy, at 33 years old and about a quarter of a tank of gas left in his career, could bring back a small but significant return. For Suter, in the twilight of his long and storied career, there is not much the Blues could get back for him. The 40-year-old defenseman has kept himself healthy and amazingly is playing an average of 20:23 minutes a night.
The Blues need to start looking at younger players to fill the blue line. The forward group has some young talent that could shine in a year or two, but this defensive unit is not going to make it that long. The Trade Deadline is a great chance to get something back for either Suter or Leddy.