It sounds like veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa had no shortage of suitors once his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, officially placed him on the trade block this offseason. While Bieksa eventually wound up a member of the Ducks of Anaheim, according to the latest report, St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong made a pitch, albeit an unsuccessful one, for his services as well.
"There were several teams involved in the discussions with the Canucks including the St. Louis Blues," reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. "In the end, Bieksa controlled his own destiny and it's believed one way or another he wanted to go to the Golden State."
Bieksa, of course, wound up being shipped by the Canucks to the Ducks in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. Bieksa, 34, was reportedly also being pursued by the Ottawa Senators though, per Garrioch, it seemed a personal preference to be on the West Coast was the deciding factor in his final destination.
"The reality is the 34-year-old Bieksa had a no-trade clause he could exercise so he was able to dictate where he ended up which is why after a deal fell through with the San Jose Sharks last Friday in Fort Lauderdale, he ended up landing with the Ducks," writes Garrioch.
After the Blues and Armstrong made it clear to long-time St. Louis defenseman Barrett Jackman that they wouldn't be retaining him, they likely targeted the addition of a veteran presence on the blueline. Bieksa, a former fifth-round pick in the 2001 NHL Draft with a decade's worth of NHL experience to his name, fits that bill to a tee.
In 597 career NHL games, Bieksa has amassed 56 goals, 185 assists and 879 pentaly minutes.
With reports swirling in recent days that Kevin Shattenkirk, one of the Blues best defenseman, could potentially be available in trade - though the team has since vehemently denied such rumors - Jackman gone and Armstrong reportedly looking to alter the core of his underachieving squad, it would make some sense that a gritty vet like Bieksa, even one with fading offensive skills, could have been a good pickup.
Of course, Shattenkirk has stayed put and Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Pietrangelo and Carl Gunnarsson remain in place as well, so the top of the defensive depth chart for St. Louis looks pretty set, but Armstrong still needs to add a body or two for his third pairing.
Jordan Schmaltz and Tommy Vannelli, a couple of gifted offensive defenseman prospects, could be ready for active NHL duty in the not-too-distant future, but third-pairing minutes are useless for young players still in need of developmental time.
Armstrong did re-sign Chris Butler to a one-year deal on Day One of the NHL's free agency period and he's almost certain to fill one of the two spots on the Blues backend's backend.
Still, further additions will likely be made, it just won't be Bieksa patrolling the St. Louis blueline in 2015-16, though that won't be for a lack of trying on the part of Armstong.
