In the most recent edition of Insider Trading on TSN, insider Bob McKenzie mentioned the St. Louis Blues as a team interested in the Buffalo Sabres Evander Kane. Pierre LeBrun picked up where his colleague left off, further stating that the Blues have a real interest in adding a top-six forward at some point, in order to round out their lineup. That interest was apparent even before they lost Jaden Schwartz long-term.
If they are going after Kane, they’ll have to fight off several other teams—McKenzie mentions San Jose, Anaheim and Calgary in particular—and meet a steep (and rising) price from the Sabres. It’s been previously reported that the Sabres are after a package starting at the Andrew Ladd or Martin Hanzal level, but it could go even higher than that should several teams get involved in a bidding war.
St. Louis has been dealt some serious blows to their forward group this season even before Schwartz’ injury, losing Robby Fabbri and Zach Sanford long-term before the year even began. Another forward would lengthen out the lineup considerably, and improve an already impressive team. One of the interesting things about St. Louis is that they aren’t limited to just rental players as they have quite a bit of money coming off the books at the end of the year. While they’d surely like to keep Paul Stastny around, he may be able to find more money and longer term on the open market as one of the best centers available. Losing his $7.5MM cap hit clears quite a bit of room, leaving St. Louis with close to $20MM in cap space depending on where the ceiling eventually lands.
While they have some young players due for new contracts, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see them pursue a player that can help them now and in the future. If Ottawa does end up selling some of their assets, a player like Mike Hoffman may be an option for the Blues even with a hefty contract. They certainly will be a team to watch over the next few months.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Any chance they want Nash?
They could have Giroux or Simmons
Take Troy Brouwer back, STAT.
If Montreal continues stumbling, I could see the Blues asking about Pacioretty or even Gallagher(though I doubt the Habs move him).
Send Spooner (once healthy) to them for a 2nd rounder or mid level prospect. He can help on the PP, play wing or center, and can slot in on the 3rd line once they get healthy.
I though Schwartz was only out for 6 weeks?
I wouldn’t mind trading Kreider for Fabbri and picks
Most Ranger fans would disagree with that idea. Kreider just needs a true number one center.
I’ll trade RealHalSteinbrenner for the IQ points I just lost reading his comment
If you watched the Rangers regularly , you know that he’s a ghost 3/4th of the season and that he coming up on Free Agency. Yes, he’s a decent player, but he’s also a headcase, and the tens with Ranger management (Stepan/Brassard) is to trade these guys before they’re locked into a huge contract for a guy who , honestly, doesn’t live up to his supposed potential.
IQ points returned.
Trend * with Ranger Management….
In other news, every other nhl team would like to trade for a top-6 forward that will bolster their talent.