Oh, trade rumor season never seems to end, even when the NHL preseason and regular season gives everyone more than enough to talk about. But with the Mitch Marner rumors still swirling and fan-created trade proposals going on over at Puck Pedia, there’s always one involving the St. Louis Blues that jumps out.
Cole Shelton of Heavy caught this one, and it involved a Blues-Leafs trade with Mitch Marner and Robert Thomas as the primary players in the deal. In it, the Blues would also send over a second-round pick in 2027, while the Leafs would also move Ryan Reaves and Alex Steeves.
While acquiring Marner would be huge for the Blues, and his presence would excite fans, doing so at the expense of Robert Thomas would be rather short-sighted, given what the Blues are trying to accomplish here.
Trading your leading scorer from a season ago is always a risk, especially when it’s worth pointing out that Marner would immediately step in and expect to lead the Blues. And several major questions would erupt here: Would Marner catch on in St. Louis? Are the Blues cool with the substantially increased cap hit on a player who’s unproven in the system?
St. Louis Blues should resist any potential temptation to trade for Mitch Marner
Right now, things may seem murky in Gateway City, but this is one of those situations when the Blues must stay on the right path and work their way through this rebuild, restructure, or whatever you’re calling it. For one, we know Doug Armstrong is one of the NHL’s most proven executives, and few know how to build a sustainable system the same way as him.
This isn’t to say the Blues shouldn’t be looking for star players to add, but their best bet is to scour organizations that aren’t expected to compete. Further, it’s still up in the air as to whether Marner even wants to leave Toronto, something he recently addressed in a statement.
For the Blues, keeping players like Robert Thomas around long-term is a must, as is organically bringing those Armstrong deems ready for the NHL to the big club so the organization can become a shoo-in playoff contender once again.
Trading for someone like Marner would have its clear rewards, but it also comes with a substantial set of high risks, and you can’t say the same about keeping a star like Robert Thomas around. Therefore, don’t expect Armstrong to make such a trade happen, and if he does, it’s not something to be optimistic about in foresight.