Re: Ryan Miller/Steve Ott to STL, Halak/Stew/Carrier to BUF
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 2:07 pm
IMO the biggest thing from this trade other than the upgrade in goaltending....
Ott plays hard every night, every shift. Chris Stewart, with his size and talent, still only plays hard whenever he feels like playing hard. That's the difference between players who stay on Cup contenders and those who get traded away from them. The trade also gets rid of the guy who doesn't work consistently, puts more playoff experience on the ice with a more physical attitude, and allows the Blues to play the younger talented guys period on the top 2 lines without questioning where should Stewart play - because he should be a 1st or 2nd line forward but won't play that way consistently. Ott fits perfectly as a 3rd line forward and is very good in faceoffs (60th in wins, 52.9%). Not to mention being a much better defensive forward... Stewart was only +2 as a member of the Blues.... Look at the rest of the forwards on the Blues roster and explain how someone with 26 points was only a +2 on this Blues team. Stewart just didn't fit the Blues style of play.
Ott plays hard every night, every shift. Chris Stewart, with his size and talent, still only plays hard whenever he feels like playing hard. That's the difference between players who stay on Cup contenders and those who get traded away from them. The trade also gets rid of the guy who doesn't work consistently, puts more playoff experience on the ice with a more physical attitude, and allows the Blues to play the younger talented guys period on the top 2 lines without questioning where should Stewart play - because he should be a 1st or 2nd line forward but won't play that way consistently. Ott fits perfectly as a 3rd line forward and is very good in faceoffs (60th in wins, 52.9%). Not to mention being a much better defensive forward... Stewart was only +2 as a member of the Blues.... Look at the rest of the forwards on the Blues roster and explain how someone with 26 points was only a +2 on this Blues team. Stewart just didn't fit the Blues style of play.