According to the latest report, the St. Louis Blues are closing in on a deal that would bring in big blueliner Zbynek Michalek from the Arizona Coyotes.
TSN's Bob McKenzie reports that while a deal is still not done, both sides are working to complete the trade.
As McKenzie notes, Michalek is currently injured - he suffered a concussion and has been sidelined since Feb. 14 - but that the package for acquiring his services could be based around conditional picks to help facilitate the completion of the deal.
While injury issues, specifically of the concussion variety, can scare teams off, the deals for Jeff Petry and Braydon Coburn, as well as the high price for a player like Dion Phaneuf leaves the Blues and GM Doug Armstrong with few high-quality options if they're really intent on upgrading their defensive depth.
Late in February, ESPN's Pierre LeBrun reported that Michalek is "well on his way to recovery."
Michalek isn't a flashy player, but he's known for his steady, effective and consistent two-way play. He's an important piece when it comes to winning the NHL playoffs who would most likely log big minutes.
His cap hit isn't cheap at $4 million, but for a team like the Blues, set on righting the consistently ugly playoff letdowns of the recent past, overpaying to shore up a troublesome spot in the lineup could very well be worth it.
