The latest report from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman suggests the St. Louis Blues are making it clear they are open to trade offers for their depth forwards.
The St. Louis Blues have no shortage of NHL-caliber bottom-six players, but the simple fact is that not all of those players will make the opening-night roster, which is why the latest report stating the Blues are open to trades is unsurprising.
According to trusted NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Blues have made it known that they have plenty of NHL-caliber depth forwards who they are willing to part with.
“One thing I kind of heard is that in St. Louis, for example, they have a bunch of NHL guys who are kind of in the bottom six, and not all of them are going to make their team," said Friedman on his podcast, 32 Thoughts. "And I think the Blues have let it be known that if you want some NHL depth, deeper in your roster, guys who’ve played, we have extras.”
The veteran core the Blues are bringing into the season includes Jonatan Berggren, Pius Suter, Ross Johnston, Alexey Toropchenko, Dillon Dube, Nathan Walker, Oskar Sundqvist and Jack Finley.
This also includes younger players waiting for their opportunity, like Otto Stenberg, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Zach Dean, Justin Carbonneau and Dylan Peterson, although those players are unlikely to be traded.
From the veteran group, Ross Johnston is the least likely to be traded, as he was signed to a three-year deal in the off-season to be the team's physical presence and enforcer.
There are only so many spots, and realistically, there are just five spots to be earned from a group of 13 players. Stenberg, Carobonneau and Kaskimaki are likely out of the race due to being waivers exempt. Dean and Peterson are on two-way contracts, but the organization likely wants to see a bit more from them before calling them up.
Of the veteran group, Johnston likely has his spot locked down, and Suter should get the first run as the fourth-line center. Berggren showed he was capable of a middle six role last year and it would be shocking to not see him start on the third line.
That leaves Toropchenko, Walker, Sundqvist, Finley, and Dube fighting for one roster spot and one 13th forward spot. Three players will be sent on waivers and could be claimed by other teams. If the Blues don't see a future for them in the NHL, trading them and receiving a draft pick in exchange will help mitigate the loss.
Any of those players could be traded, but Suter's name could draw the most interest. He's a better player than a fourth-line center, but with the makeup of the roster, it's the role he's been reduced to. Suter earns $4.125 million for the remainder of this season before becoming a UFA.
NHL teams in need of center depth, especially someone with Suter's two-way versatility, could be willing to part ways with serious assets.
The Blues remain insistent on competing, and keeping Suter provides them with a strong lineup. But in the case where they think Kaskimaki or Dean could adequately fill that role, they could look to offload Suter.
Whichever direction the Blues go, they could be very active in the trade market.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
