With a little less than a month before the NHL's annual trade deadline, the St. Louis Blues have an interesting task ahead of them. Who do they select to help bolster their roster for the remainder of the regular season? They'll need all the help they can get even before the 7th of March rolls around, and this is a team that in the past has landed quite a few success stories from the market.
Keith Tkachuk, Phoenix (2001)
The Blues sent their 2002 first-round selection and three other players to the then-named and now-defunct Phoenix (Arizona) Coyotes to receive Brady and Matthew's father, which ended up working wonders. Keith Tkachuk played 543 career games in a Blues sweater, scoring 208 goals and 219 assists for 427 points. He also had three 30-goal seasons, further helping his induction into the Blues' franchise Hall of Fame just last year. Although Tkachuk finished his career with the now defunct Atlanta Thrashers, he is still one of the Blues' greatest ever players, ranking just outside the top 5 in franchise goals, behind the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko, Garry Unger, Brian Sutter, Bernie Federko, and the Golden Brett himself, Brett Hull.
Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary (2013)
In another trade involving several players going both ways, the Blues landed an otherwise talented defenseman towards the end of the 2012/13 season with Bouwmeester. In eight seasons with the Blues, Bouwmeester played in almost 500 games, scoring 17 goals and 107 assists for 124 points before having to prematurely retire from hockey after a scary on-ice cardiac event during a game against the Anaheim Ducks on this very day in 2019. Bouwmeester proved his worth alongside fellow star defenseman Colton Parayko en route to the Blues' first and only Stanley Cup championship, so his heart was in the right place even with such a dramatic moment. He's considered one of St. Louis' best D-men of this century, and his dedication proves why.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Senators (2010)
Undoubtedly the Blues' greatest player of this century, regardless of position, the technique used to snag Vladdy Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators in the 1st round of the 2010 draft was nothing short of remarkable. It was early into Blues GM Doug Armstrong's tenure on the team, and this mega splash put a once-struggling Blues franchise back on the map. Tarasenko played almost 650 games in a Blues sweater, scoring 262 goals and 291 assists for 553 points in 11 years with St. Louis, and managed one 40-goal season in 2015/16, just his 4th in the league. His first playing the majority of the regular season, plus 4 consecutive 30-goal campaigns from 2014/15 to 2018/19, plus one more during the 2021/22 season. Tarasenko may have been bounced around to other teams since his time in St. Louis, but there is no greater modern player in the franchise than this Yaroslavl, Russia native.
Ryan O'Reilly, Buffalo (2018)
Another major fan favorite during his time in St. Louis, O'Reilly and Tarasenko were once the Blues' undisputed dynamic offensive duo, with the former playing 327 games for St. Louis, totaling 97 goals and 172 assists for 269 points in 5 years. O'Reilly also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during the Blues' championship year, with points in all but three of the 26 games played. He would also receive the coveted captain's letter after captain Alex Pietrangelo was dealt to the then relatively young expansion Vegas Golden Knights. O'Reilly was traded to the Maple Leafs midway through the 2022/23 season and is now a member of Central Division rivals Nashville. And even when you thought the Blues couldn't get one of the Sabres' current dynamic players in Tage Thompson, who was another part of the original O'Reilly deal with Buffalo, they got the next best thing.
So who do the Blues go after in free agency this year? Will we see more quietness like we did at last summer's trade deadline or will St. Louis make some more well-placed big splashes? We'll find out, even before the 7th of March is upon us.