The St. Louis Blues had quite a bit of talent to sell at the NHL trade deadline last week, but they only moved goaltender Malcolm Subban for future considerations. However, Subban hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since 2022, so it’s tough to count this as a move that will affect the organization.
One reason the Blues could have sold at the deadline was to begin the process of pushing the reset button - but nowhere near the degree as, say, the San Jose Sharks. But the team hit the high water mark following their big win in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, but they have not made a deep playoff run since, unless you count their exit in the Second Round back in 2022 as such.
Last season, St. Louis bottomed out and ended the year with just 81 points. This season, they are hanging around the wild card race, but still, you have to wonder whether they can catch the Nashville Predators or the revamped Vegas Golden Knights.
St. Louis Blues could have initiated a reset at the NHL trade deadline
The above quip isn’t to say general manager Doug Armstrong made the wrong move by standing idle. Take one look at the team’s cap situation and how many players they have signed long-term, and it’s easy to see why Armstrong decided not to sell, but he probably would have if he was given the right compensation.
This instead turned into one of those situations where Armstrong has enough current assets to fuel several playoff runs from his team. And who knows? Perhaps he has something big planned for an offseason that isn’t too far away.
But what if the right teams called and enticed Armstrong to sell? Who would have been ideal trading partners, and where would some of his biggest names have landed? Let’s check out three blockbuster trades the Blues could have made at the 2024 trade deadline.