Let's Go Blues

Blues likely to stand pat at trade deadline
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... a36c3.html



WINNIPEG • As more big names switched teams Thursday, four days in advance of the NHL trade deadline, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong remained relatively quiet and hinted it may stay that way.

In a minor deal, the club reacquired forward Adam Cracknell from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for “future considerations.”

After the trade, Armstrong said the Blues’ depth this season, the lack of available impact players on the market and the club’s unwillingness to part with premium draft picks and prospects may prevent any more activity before Monday’s 2 p.m. deadline.

In the wake of Kevin Shattenkirk’s abdominal surgery, speculation has focused on the Blues adding an experienced defenseman such as New Jersey’s Marek Zidlicky or Arizona’s Zbynek Michalek.

“This just isn’t the year to get involved in that market,” Armstrong said. “The needs aren’t as great as they were. Our top-four defense, we’re not going to improve our top-four defense in this market. We just need to get Shattenkirk healthy. That will be the biggest deadline acquisition any team can make.”

The price for a “rental” defenseman is typically a first-round pick, and the Blues don’t possess one in 2015, sending it to Buffalo last February in the Ryan Miller trade.

“We just can’t be giving away first-round picks every year,” Armstrong said. “We went for it last year in acquiring a player that could push us deeper. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Obviously last year, it didn’t.

“We’ve been aggressive the last two years giving up a first-round pick to get (Jay) Bouwmeester (in 2013) and first and third to get Miller. This year’s team I think has more depth than those teams, so if we did nothing, I wouldn’t be shocked.”

The Blues did bring Cracknell, 29, back in the fold Thursday. The forward played four seasons with the Blues (2010-14). He will report to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.

“It gives Chicago a very good experienced player, gives us really good depth,” Armstrong said.

glen a richter wrote:Stastny was supposed to be the upgrade, and for the money they spent on him, it's kind of ridiculous they should have to get someone else to make his line better. His job is to make his line better, not to need someone to elevate his own game. Retrospectively, they probably never should have signed him. Bummer of a contract, so far. I guess time will tell though. Just like patience with Berglund paid off... oh, wait.

Hey, Chris Stewart is available. Berglund for Stewart straight up! Do it!

glen a richter wrote:Stastny was supposed to be the upgrade, and for the money they spent on him, it's kind of ridiculous they should have to get someone else to make his line better. His job is to make his line better, not to need someone to elevate his own game. Retrospectively, they probably never should have signed him. Bummer of a contract, so far. I guess time will tell though. Just like patience with Berglund paid off... oh, wait.

Hey, Chris Stewart is available. Berglund for Stewart straight up! Do it!

cardsfan04 wrote:If we get Petry, who do we give up? I'm sure we wouldn't trade a top 4 dman for him. That would defeat the purpose.

We have a little over $1 mil in cap space. And he makes a little over $3 mil. So we'd have to clear $2 mil to get him, which is where I think Cracknell could come in. Ott would come just shy of getting it done (if we add Cracknell to the NHL roster), but Berglund would do it straight up.

Does Berglund plus Rattie get it done? Maybe Berglund plus a 2nd or 3rd rounder?

dmiles2186 wrote:

cardsfan04 wrote:If we get Petry, who do we give up? I'm sure we wouldn't trade a top 4 dman for him. That would defeat the purpose.

We have a little over $1 mil in cap space. And he makes a little over $3 mil. So we'd have to clear $2 mil to get him, which is where I think Cracknell could come in. Ott would come just shy of getting it done (if we add Cracknell to the NHL roster), but Berglund would do it straight up.

Does Berglund plus Rattie get it done? Maybe Berglund plus a 2nd or 3rd rounder?

I'll be honest, I don't know squat about Petry as a player. Is he a guy that's a late bloomer or having a career year?

One thing I saw on Twitter that I had completely forgot about, we've got Sobotka's rights in the bag if we need to trade them. Not that I want to see him go, but it would be a bonus of not giving up a current roster player or a prospect. It's somewhere in between.

Oaklandblue wrote:Glencross would look good in Blue.

cardsfan04 wrote:

Oaklandblue wrote:Glencross would look good in Blue.

Traded to the Caps a minute ago. I would have liked him too.

cardsfan04 wrote:

glen a richter wrote:Stastny was supposed to be the upgrade, and for the money they spent on him, it's kind of ridiculous they should have to get someone else to make his line better. His job is to make his line better, not to need someone to elevate his own game. Retrospectively, they probably never should have signed him. Bummer of a contract, so far. I guess time will tell though. Just like patience with Berglund paid off... oh, wait.

Hey, Chris Stewart is available. Berglund for Stewart straight up! Do it!

I would like to have more from Stastny too. He's making $7 mil per year and not earning it. I don't think he's been bad or anything. But, I don't think he has played at a $7 mil level yet. Hopefully that will still happen though.

WaukeeBlues wrote:

cardsfan04 wrote:

glen a richter wrote:Stastny was supposed to be the upgrade, and for the money they spent on him, it's kind of ridiculous they should have to get someone else to make his line better. His job is to make his line better, not to need someone to elevate his own game. Retrospectively, they probably never should have signed him. Bummer of a contract, so far. I guess time will tell though. Just like patience with Berglund paid off... oh, wait.

Hey, Chris Stewart is available. Berglund for Stewart straight up! Do it!

I would like to have more from Stastny too. He's making $7 mil per year and not earning it. I don't think he's been bad or anything. But, I don't think he has played at a $7 mil level yet. Hopefully that will still happen though.

Well it also doesn't help there's nowhere else to put him but the 3rd line. Backes, Oshie and Steen are back together as they should be, and with Lehtera working WAY better than most of us thought... where else do you put Stastny? Has to be the 3rd line with perennial underachiever Berglund. Not terribly fair to be putting Stastny in that position and then expecting him to be at 60 points for the season. Plus with a brand new guy at his level it just takes time. I'm not saying I'm happy we're paying $7 million a season for 36 points (so far) but it's not all his fault.

edit: I also really like Army's quote about 1st round picks. You can't keep the pipeline going with nothing but 2nd round+ picks every year. Blues were trading their first every season in the late 90's early 00's and when the well dried up it was DRY. In today's NHL you HAVE to keep the young, cheap players moving in your system. Should be obvious but some GM's are better than others.

Speaking of which, I don't think the Blackhawks have a pick in this draft until the 4th round haha.