The St. Louis Blues' future resides in what happens in the next couple of hours. With under 12 hours to go until General Manager Doug Armstrong has to hang up the phone for good, can he pull off a masterclass before the final buzzer?
There have been deals pulled back by players contractual rights, enough smoke on various players to fill a room, all the while without a single transaction to the Blues' credit. This is going to be an either very eventful day, or very boring.
Can Armstrong set some fires and try to secure his legacy as Blues head man?
Thomas is still the key
The Blues' next era will be dictated by what is done with Robert Thomas. If they can send him off and gain back a significant return, it can help get things in motion. At the same time, if he is not moved at all, there is a chance that the Blues can still build around him, but they have to trade everyone else first.
For instance, captain Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich, and Jordan Kyrou will all have to be moved in order to make up for what Thomas would bring back in. That is a fair assumption there. Those three players have gotten a little bit of trade rumor buzz, but nothing substantial enough to believe.
Falling behind
The unwillingness of Parayo not to waive his NTC pushed the Blues back a little bit further. The rumored return of Radim Mrtka and a first-round pick would have been a steal. But, it is Parayko's right to waive it, and this is where Armstrong has shot himself in the foot. Handing out these are a good insurace policy, to give these players a sense of safety and independence, but it has now become a burden.
The rest of the teams "selling", like Calgary, Washington, and the New York Rangers, have started making moves to start their rebuilding phase. As the Blues continue to wait until the deadline, they are falling behind with every move made outside of their organization.
Can Armstrong catch this franchise up to speed in the final hours?