St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk may not be dealt this season after all, despite rampant rumors to the contrary. But that doesn't mean that Blues GM Doug Armstrong isn't going to enact a trade or three ahead of the NHL's trade deadline.
TSN's Bob McKenzie appeared on Edmonton's TSN 1260 on Friday and reported that the Blues are a team that most around the league are "keeping an eye on" because once the All-Star break passes and they get healthy again, the assumption is that Armstrong will be a man ready to make some moves, specifically for an addition up front.
"St. Louis is perceived to be a team that may be in some sort of trade mode between now and the deadline to try and get better in the short term," McKenzie said, per Today's Slap Shot.
Of course, while many may assume that means Shattenkirk being shipped out for an elite forward, McKenzie did his best to pump the brakes on that talk.
"There has been a lot of talk on Kevin Shattenkirk, but I think it might have got - I don't want to say 'overblown' because sure enough, once I say that, he'll probably turn around and get traded - but I don't think that the St. Louis Blues were real eager or are real eager to make the move for Shattenkirk right now."
Shattenkirk, a talented offensive defenseman who'd likely be viewed as one of the top players at his position were he more durable, has managed to remain relatively healthy this season and has the production to show for it. Through 40 games of work for the Blues this season, Shattenkirk already has 9 goals and 27 points. He's well on his way to shattering his career mark for goals (10) and very well could surpass his previous best of 45 total points.
His strong play has had many thinking Armstrong may sell high, especially considering the limited output the Blues have seen from their hobbled forward corps. But as McKenzie suggests, Armstrong and Co. may be thinking big this year after so many seasons of unfulfilled expectations under Ken Hitchcock.
The team re-upped with Hitchcock this offseason, not because they were thinking long-term, but likely because they hoped the continuity with Hitch behind the bench and a couple of key changes on the ice would allow them to make a run at a Cup.
A guy like Shattenkirk will be important once the Blues (probably) reach the postseason and have to square off with the likes of Chicago and Dallas. Trading him for a scorer may sound good, but even with the strong play of Colton Parayko, it's weakening an area of strength to upgrade an area of weakness - a classically flawed means of roster retooling.
If Armstrong wants to upgrade, he's better of trading future assets for a rental. It's hard to swallow, especially in today's NHL where young players like Parayko are making such immediate impact, but losing Shattenkirk would hurt as much as gaining a top talent at forward would help.
