Alex Tuch, Darren Raddysh, Rasmus Andersson, or John Carlson - do any of these names make sense for the St. Louis Blues to chase in free agency?
Plenty of questions surround the St. Louis Blues heading into the off-season.
The two major questions are what they do with their draft picks and with veterans like Jordan Kyrou, Colton Parayko, and Jordan Binnington. Regarding the NHL draft, the Blues have three first-round picks, but none are in the top 10. Do they trade up or remain in their spots at 11, 15, and 29?
With their veterans, is it time to trade them and move in a different direction, or could they bounce back and be a playoff team next year?
One question that hasn’t been asked about the Blues is how they approach free agency.
The Blues enter the off-season with a projected $ 14 million in cap space, according to puckpedia.com, with Oskar Sundqvist as a UFA and Jonatan Berggren as an RFA. Even if both players are signed, they likely wouldn’t take more than $3 million in cap space.
The Blues have plenty of space to work with, but is it worth it to chase a big-name free agent?
To begin, there really aren’t many top players available, as most have already signed extensions with their teams. Heading towards July 1, the top available players are right winger Alex Tuch and defensemen Darren Raddysh, Rasmus Andersson, and John Carlson.
While they would help improve the Blues’ roster, they aren’t players who can single-handedly make them a playoff team or a contender.
They are better off preserving their cap space and allowing their young players to develop in the NHL by giving them increased roles.
If the Blues want to solidify their depth or rework their bottom six after a poor season, some moves can be made, but chasing a player approaching his 30s for a long-term deal at a high price would hurt the Blues’ long-term outlook while marginally improving the short term.
In all, the Blues would be wise to revisit trades for Kyrou, Parayko, and Binnington, remain patient in the free-agent market, and test the waters on what a trade-up might cost.
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