Doug Armstrong, GM of the St Louis Blues, has made clear that the team is going to be shaken up before the trade deadline. On top of that, he has said that no one on this team is untouchable and he will be fielding trade offers for everyone. Given the disaster of a season the Blues have had thus far, this isn't surprising, and it's clear that moves will be made sooner rather than later. But what players should Doug move this season?
Jordan Binnington
Binnington has been a hero in St. Louis ever since he spearheaded the team's Stanley Cup run in 2019, but the writing is on the wall for his future in the Note. Binnington has had a nightmare of a season, having put up some of the worst stats in the league consistently since October. With the quality and reliability that Joel Hofer has brought between the pipes this season, Binnington has effectively found himself as the backup goalie for St. Louis. Montgomery and the rest of the organization have tried time and time again this year to ride this rough patch out with Binnington, but his abysmal play is unprecedented and directly resulting in losses for the team.
Jordan Binnington still has the reputation of being a big-game goalie, someone who steps up and plays his absolute best when the stakes are the highest. Because of this, he likely would garner some interest among playoff-bound teams that don't have full faith in their goaltenders to perform at the level needed to lead a team to a Cup. Given how this year has gone for number 50, if Doug Armstrong can get any kind of meaningful return for Jordan Binnington, he would be foolish not to make the move.
Jordan Kyrou
Jordan Kyrou has been the recipient of a mountain of criticism in recent years, and most of it has been unwarranted. Kyrou is never going to be a skater who lays heaving hits and delivers a physical forecheck; he's a goal scorer and a skill player, which most people recognize. He has improved his defensive game to a noticeable degree in the last year or so, but unfortunately, his offensive production has regressed significantly. Kyrou has posted just 9 goals and 21 total points this season in 40 games played. When he isn't delivering on the offensive end as he should be, Kyrou tends to disappear and makes no significant impact to games. Add this onto the fact that his career trajectory and the Blues' Cup window don't align anymore, and you have the perfect candidate for a trade.
Kyrou is still a very talented and highly sought-after forward on a relatively affordable contract, so Doug Armstrong has likely received a lot of interest in him from teams across the league. If Armstrong can get a return in the form of a young skater closer in age to Snuggerud and Dvorsky, I don't think there would be many in St. Louis who oppose that.
Justin Faulk
Justin Faulk has been a real bright spot in an otherwise dark season for the Blues. The veteran defenseman is just 1 goal behind Jake Neighbours for most on the team, and has put up 23 points in 50 games this year. His trade value has skyrocketed this year after a couple of mediocre performances in 23-24 and 24-25. Given his age and expected return, Army would be making a huge mistake to keep Faulk, given the expected trajectory of the organization in the coming years.
As with the others, Doug Armstrong would likely be looking for a younger player in return for Faulk. A young but talented defenseman would be an ideal move, but it's more likely the Blues could plan to return a draft pick for Faulk and try to draft a prospect with high potential, given their history of excellent scouting.
As the season rolls on and the Blues fall further and further out of playoff relevance, it's inevitable that this team will go through some significant changes. This can be sad but it's just the reality of the situation the Blues have put themselves in. The details are still up for debate and speculation, but Blues fans just have to have faith that Doug Armstrong will make the best moves to set the organization up for success and genuine contention in the coming years.