We're just over a week from the NHL's trade deadline on March 6, and the St. Louis Blues are expected to be sellers, given their 20-28-9 record. In The Athletic's latest trade board, the Blues have five players represented; it's the same five as last time, but their placements have changed considerably.
The biggest leap is for defenseman Justin Faulk, who rises up to number four on the trade board. It's a thin market for right-shot defensemen this year--especially after Rasmus Andersson was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Vegas Golden Knights. Aside from Faulk, the most prominent righty defensemen available are Dougie Hamilton, Luke Schenn, and Rasmus Ristolainen, none of whom are nearly as well-rounded as Faulk. If he does get moved, Faulk should bring back a solid return.
Perhaps no one's trade value benefited from the Olympics more than Jordan Binnington, who's now up to number ten on the board. Yes, Binnington's had a season to forget in St. Louis, but he proved in Milan that he can still step up under pressure; he wasn't the reason Team Canada lost in the gold medal game.
Next up, at number 13, is Blues captain Brayden Schenn. It's been a tough season for Schenn, as it has been for most of the Blues' players, but as far as reliable depth centers go, he's a solid add for a playoff team. Considering other centers that may be available, such as Ryan O'Reilly, Nazem Kadri, and Elias Pettersson, Schenn's an attractive middle-ground option for teams not willing to give up an arm and a leg for a center with term.
Tumbling out of the top five and to 22nd on the list is Robert Thomas. This speaks less about his quality as a player (he's still very good, though Dalibor Dvorsky's making a case to take his job), and more about how difficult a Thomas trade would be--probably a combination of premium picks and young roster players, not to mention a no-move clause that Thomas could exercise. A Thomas trade seems more like an offseason decision than something that gets done by the end of next week.
Finally, dropping all the way to 41st is Jordan Kyrou. Like Thomas, this is a trade that would likely take a lot to get done by next week, and may be more manageable to entertain during the summer. Any playoff team would love to add Kyrou or Thomas in their primes and signed to reasonable deals, but getting either player to waive their trade protections and putting together the assets could be quite the hurdle.
The Blues made their first trade ahead of the Olympic deadline, sending Nick Bjugstad to New Jersey, and then made a small deal after the Olympic freeze, too. Hopefully, that's just the beginning as GM Doug Armstrong starts reshaping the roster.