St. Louis Blues: Are recent signings an indication of an upcoming trade?
By David Crum
The St. Louis Blues roster is heavily skewed towards left-handed defensemen, with only Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko as the sole right-handed shooting big men. This imbalance could be a strong indicator of an upcoming trade.
This has caught the attention of Blues fans and hockey analysts alike.
St. Louis Blues reporter Andy Strickland stated on X, "Safe to assume someone won't be here."
Blues fans, too, are noticing the imbalance.
What’s the point of this deal? 6LHD on one way deals and to block a younger player from playing more minutes?
— Steven Bibas (@StevenBibas) July 11, 2024
Maybe a trade coming or just break camp with the best 7 or 8 D and put the others on waivers and see what happens.
— Chad Schriever (@ChadSchriever) July 11, 2024
It's worth noting that several of the current LHDs are on one-year deals, including Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Scott Perunovich, Ryan Suter, and Tyler Tucker's expiring RFA deal.
It's safe to say a prospect will probably not enter NHL play in 2024-25. With all the rave about Theo Lindstein, he's expected to join the AHL or continue in the SHL for another year. Likewise, the 2024 draft picks are even more in need of development than Lindstein.
St. Louis Blues: Is a trade going to be made?
Is it possible for a player like Tucker to be traded? It's entirely possible. In addition to many LHD skaters, several are lower-line players.
However, there might be more considerable uncertainty around Nick Leddy and Torey Krug.
In mere statistics, Krug has been a top-two defenseman for the Blues for the past four seasons, but he also has an expensive contract. Any trade involving Krug would require his blessing, as he is protected with an entire no-trade clause until 2025.
Let's avoid spreading rumors or delving too deeply into speculation.
However, it seems unlikely that the Blues will carry six defensemen into the season who play on the same side of the ice.
With the recent signings of Joseph and Suter and the extension handed to Perunovich, it also seems that these three are safe.
We should probably keep our eyes on Tucker, Leddy, and Krug. It appears that there's something going on behind closed doors that may have more implications than we initially realized.
It's reasonable to expect that one of the six LHD defensemen will be leaving soon.
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