It was a very eventful trade deadline for the St. Louis Blues, and there were some big trades that sent shockwaves through the organization. After both Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk were moved to the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings, respectively, this team has a new direction now.
Even with those two big trades, the Blues might have made even more of a statement with who they kept on their roster for the rest of this season. With all of the rumors and potential trades that might have happened but didn't due to the No-Trade Clauses, there were a couple more Blues that could have been traded during this fire sale.
Namely, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, who, for now, will usher in the next era of Blues hockey. It is safe to say that this is not a full rebuild, but it is a retool, and this team could be a few moves away from getting back to competitive hockey.
Armstrong and the Blues did the right thing
This was GM Doug Armstrong's last trade deadline, and he hit it out of the park. The transition to Alexander Steen this offseason coming up will be a smooth transition, and the new head-man will have a ton of possibilities in his hands.
Keeping Kyrou and Thomas was the right call, as they are both young enough and skilled enough to now be the leadership group for this young Blues team. Having them spearhead the offensive group will help draw in some external talent in free agency.
Jake Neighbours, who is already getting some captaincy love, Dalibor Dvorsky, who completely took over the Olympic stage, and Jimmy Snuggerud, who can rival that of Auston Matthews and David Pastrnak in goalscoring, need some guidance. In this next step in the Blues franchise, both Kyrou and Thomas are going to lead those younger forwards by blending some of the old teachings with some new, and create something truly special.
For now, it was the right call to hold onto No. 25 and No. 18. Let's see what happens with them in the future when Steen takes over.