The St. Louis Blues begin their 25-game sprint to the finish with the Seattle Kraken coming to town on Thursday night. At the moment, there is no indication of what direction this team could go in, but there have been some rumblings about which players are getting some attention from pursuing teams.
If the Blues were able to pursue the next face of their franchise, who would it be? Assuming it is not someone on the roster already, as there are very few names that are not on the trade block for this upcoming Trade Deadline on March 6, who can the Blues gain externally?
One name jumps off the page as the perfect Blue to be, but it is a very hard get. This player is already the face of another franchise in the NHL, and that team is in a solid situation in terms of making the playoffs once again this season. But, the Blues have one thing in their back pocket that could sway this particular player to the 'Lou.
St. Louis is his hometown. Matthew Tkachuk, whose father, Keith, was made a legend donning the Blue Note, has to fulfill his destiny of joining the Blues.
Coming home?
For this to work out, it would have to be in the offseason. The Florida Panthers are just a handful of points out of a playoff spot, and with Tkachuk gaining an Olympic Gold Medal in Italy this past week, expect him to come out on all cylinders. Furthermore, his teammates Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Sam Reinhart lost to him in the Gold Medal game, so they are all going to be like sharks in bloody water on the ice for the rest of the season.
Tkachuk has what it means to be a Blue, but the Blues are going to have to give up a fortune to get him. He is under contract until the end of the 2029-30 season, at $9.5 million AAV. His modified No-Trade Clause doesn't kick in until the 2028-29 season, and he is under a full No-Movement Clause until then. Tkachuk is going to have to waive and choose the Blues himself.
Panthers window is closing?
As the Blues enter their rebuild, the Panthers are still going strong as they try to go for a three-peat as Stanley Cup champions. The window for them is still open, but the curtains are closing. Aforementioned, Marchand and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky are entering the twilight of their careers. Not to mention, at 30.5 years old as an average age, this roster as a whole is much older than the rest of the league.
Tkachuk might want to join a blossoming Blues team, and what better time than in the next season or two when this team fully retools itself. Jimmy Snuggerud, Dalibor Dvorsky, and the idea of Justin Carbonneau in the forward group could be a deadly trio. Adding the grit of Tkachuk could push this franchise to a Stanley Cup contender, all by himself.