The St. Louis Blues are at a point where they probably do not know whether they should be buyers or sellers when the trade deadline comes. As of February 4th, the Blues sit two spots out of the last wild card spot but are seven points back. At the same time, they are only three points ahead of the Seattle Kraken, who sit bottom five in the league. It is now up to the team to decide whether they should be buyers or sellers, and at this point, and you do decide to become buyers, I think you would need to look at players that can add to the core of your team rather than a rental who will leave at the seasons end. Looking at the targets the Blues could be looking at, it would likely have to be someone whose age aligns with their core or someone with some term left that can help make a playoff right now.
1. Jared McCann
With the Blues mutually agreeing to terminate Brandon Saad's contract, the team could be in the market for a player who can move up and down their top nine forwards. Someone like Jared McCann could fit in nicely. Seen as more of a bottom-six guy in Pittsburg, McCann, since being in Seattle, has shown that he can produce at a high level. In two of his first three seasons in Seattle, McCann has eclipsed the 60-point total twice and had a career-high of 70 points in 2022-23. In that same season, he also set a career-high in goals with 40. Not to say if the Blues trade for McCann, the fans should expect 40 goals and 70 points a season, but more someone who can give you high 20s, low 30s goals a season and around 50/60 points. McCann's name has not been a topic of trade talks, but with Seattle near the bottom of the standings, they could be looking to sell for the future.
2. Alex Tuch
Similar to Seattle, the Buffalo Sabres are near the bottom of the standings and could be looking to shake up parts of their core after another disappointing season. With one more year left on his contract, Alex Tuch could be one of the first players asked about if the team does decide to break apart their team. Like McCann, Tuch can move up and down the lineup while being counted on to put up 20 goals and 50 points a season. Tuch is a big two-way power forward who seems like a great fit with how the team wants to play. He would be a player who could come in right now and help the team push for the playoffs while also not being a total rental with another year on his deal.
3. Connor Zary
If the Blues decide to go after Connor Zary from the Calgary Flames, it would be because they believe they see something in him similar to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Zary had a lot of potential coming out of the juniors. A former first-round pick in 2020 put up a lot of points for the Kamloops Blazers, but since being in the NHL, he has not been able to recreate what he did in the juniors. In his first season in the NHL, Zary put up 34 points in 63 games. This season has followed a similar path, with 22 points in 40 games. A change of scenery for Zary could help get him back on track to the player people thought he could become, and since it looks like it worked for Holloway and Broberg, maybe it would not be a bad idea to take a chance on Zary.