The St. Louis Blues have regularly appeared in trade rumors this season. That chatter has recently intensified, with center Robert Thomas believed to be a trade candidate.
The St. Louis Blues frequently surfaced in the rumor mill during the first half of this season, following reports that claimed GM Doug Armstrong was open to business.
Several veterans, including goaltender Jordan Binnington, defenseman Justin Faulk and center Brayden Schenn, have been mentioned as trade candidates. However, apart from a couple of minor deals earlier this season, Armstrong has yet to pull the trigger on a significant trade.
With the Blues mired near the bottom of the standings and the March 6 NHL trade deadline over five weeks away, the media trade chatter surrounding this club has intensified recently.
On Jan. 24, Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic was asked when the club will start selling in the trade market. He believes that any move made by the trade deadline will involve Schenn and Faulk. Binnington could also be dealt by then, but Rutherford thinks he's more likely to be an off-season move.
The Hockey News' Julian Gaudio recently claimed the trade market for Schenn is heating up, citing a report linking the Blues captain to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Robert Thomas has also appeared in recent trade conjecture. The 26-year-old center has four more years left on his contract with an average annual value of $8.125 million.
On Friday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said he believes the Blues would want "a stud top-six forward who's slightly younger" than Thomas. He followed up on Saturday by saying they've set high asking prices for Thomas, winger Jordan Kyrou and Faulk, adding that they'd want a return for the latter comparable to what the Calgary Flames got from the Golden Knights in the Rasmus Andersson trade.
Rutherford acknowledged the trade rumors flying about Thomas and Kyrou. He didn't rule out the possibility of one or both getting moved before March 6, but doubted there were contenders with the salary-cap space able to make such a significant move at this time. Rutherford also pointed out that both players have full no-trade protection.
Robert Thomas leads the Blues in scoring with 33 points in 42 games. (Peter Creveling-Imagn Images)PuckPedia indicates that playoff contenders such as the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings have plenty of projected trade deadline cap space to take on Thomas or Kyrou. However, they could balk at the prices set by the Blues, who aren't in any hurry to move either player.
If the Blues move Thomas or Pius Suter, they must find a replacement. Gaudio suggested Shane Wright of the Seattle Kraken, noting the 22-year-old has popped up as a trade candidate.
Rutherford was also asked why Colton Parayko hasn't appeared in trade speculation. He said the Blues believe Parayko still has a role with them as a big-minute, shutdown defenseman.
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