A contingent of St. Louis Blues fans would love to see captain Brayden Schenn stay in Arch City. He’s been the bridge between that championship-winning 2019 team and the new-look, retooling unit we see today, so it’s easy to understand why so many fans would want to keep Schenn around.
But, Schenn’s also one of the league’s older, wiser players, and one who is rather classy when it comes to talking about the upcoming trade deadline. Given his experience, productivity, and the fact he’s hoisted the Stanley Cup before, it’s no wonder Schenn’s name’s come up in the rumor mill.
Via Lou Korac of The Hockey News, Schenn took a level-headed approach regarding the upcoming trade deadline, saying, “I don’t think I need to get into rumors or whatever. I’m not in those talks behind closed doors. What I do know, I love St. Louis, I love being here. I’ve always said it’s the best thing for me. I obviously know there’s a business side of it. At the end of the day, there’s no sense in me talking about speculation or what could happen because at the end of the day, I’m a St. Louis Blue and I love it here.”
No, that won’t give Blues fans much comfort, but it’s clear that Schenn knows exactly what to say in these situations. And he reacted the same way most of us would, remaining rather non-committal while also expressing his appreciation for the city.
St. Louis Blues captain offers zero comfort to fans, but…
Here’s a fact for you: Brayden Schenn can still play sound hockey, and if the Blues moved him, they’d be getting quite a few high-profile youngsters in return. That said, I wouldn’t bat an eye if Schenn ended up somewhere else, mainly because the Blues are in no position to wreak havoc across the league as his career will inevitably start winding down by the time this team starts winning again.
With that in mind, it doesn’t mean teams won’t give the Blues something big in return, since their executives have one job and one job only in late-February and early-March: To put their teams in prime position to hoist the Stanley Cup. So, if they’re not giving up ample compensation, that dream’s not turning into a reality.
Expect Doug Armstrong to get maximum value for Brayden Schenn
Don’t think for a single second that general manager Doug Armstrong won’t be in the running to acquire maximum value for Schenn. If there’s anyone out there who will get exactly what he wants for a key contributor like Schenn, it’s Armstrong, and I don’t think you need me to tell you that.
We know he’d be willing to wait until the very last second before the deadline on March 7th before getting a deal done if it meant getting all of what Schenn’s worth and then some. So, if the Blues end up moving Schenn, it’ll mark the end of another era in Blues hockey, but by no means should you think they won’t be better off, in time, without him.
So far this season, Schenn has shown up, which only gives Armstrong more leverage here. He’s got 11 goals and 32 points in 56 games, and Schenn’s still more than capable of putting together top-six minutes.