2019 - 2020 St. Louis Blues - Defending the Cup - Part 2: The Depth from Within

[Honeycutt]

Maybe if we’re sitting pretty good in the standings in December/January DA will pull something? Interesting times ahead.

Taylor hall is out there, depending on his future with NJ could be interesting for a one year let's win two cups in a row. We may have to give up some future but how many times will the blues be in a position to win back to back. My opinion is go get it done army I'll still be a fan if we suck in 5 years!

 

[BrokenFace]

Maybe if we’re sitting pretty good in the standings in December/January DA will pull something? Interesting times ahead.

We certainly have the prospects and draft pics for a rental, and a GM willing to make that kind of move. Taylor Hall is the big pending UFA for next summer (the Caps won't be out of it at the TDL, so I'm not counting Backstrom). How about back to back years with a "locker room cancer" hoisting the cup in STL?

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Don't panic.

Think about this....

 

[Blueston]

Time for Thomas to step it up.

 

[BlueDream]

something needs to start happening with bozak's line or they're going to have to keep shuffling

steen probably stays with orielly and perron and blais gets put on bozak's line to see if it can get going

Having Steen in the top 6 is a horrible idea and only adds salt to the wound that is Tarasenko’s injury so you’d hope the Blues will figure that out.

 

[WeWentBlues]

Just browsing through rosters to see who might be available on the trade market. While the Blues have excellent depth, I wouldn't be surprised to see Armstrong bring in someone from outside the organization. There's a few names on this list that I wouldn't mind seeing in our top 6.


Athanasiou, DET
Hoffman, FLA
Dadonov, FLA
Boedker, OTT
Namestikov, OTT
Pageau, OTT
Tierney, OTT
Brown, OTT
Kreider, NYR
Hall, NJ
Palmieri, NJ
Gusev, NJ
Zucker, MN
Hartman, MN
Donato, MN
Toffoli, LA
Kovalchuk, LA
Pearson, VAN
Leivo, VAN
Virtanen, VAN
Sprong, ANA
Ho-Sang, NYI
Puljujarvi, EDM
Baertschi, VAN
Goldobin, VAN

 

[Brian39]

One thing to note about bringing someone in using the LTIR from Tarasenko: we really can't afford to bring in anything but a rental unless the ship sails on extending Petro. Bringing in any serious salary commitment for 2020/21 closes the door on that extension and I don't think there is any chance Army will be willing to close that door if there is any hope of getting a deal done. This team should still be good enough to make the playoffs so I don't see Petro waiving his NTC. He's playing out the season in St. Louis, so closing the door on contract negotiations mid-season wouldn't be wise.

If we're going to target a big-salary replacement for Tarasenko, it should be a rental.

Taylor Hall is the obvious big name rental assuming NJ can't get a deal done. He is a better player than Tarasenko IMO and I think he can play the "score you an easy goal by doing it all himself" role better than any other realistic avenue. NJ has gotten off to a terrible start and I have to think that an extension is unlikely at this point. They also gave up their 2nd and 3rd this year plus a 2nd rounder next year and have incentive to seek futures assets.

But Hall is going to fetch a hell of an asking price and is far from a slam dunk, so I looked into some other less-obvious guys.

Hoffman: would be a good option to replace a lot of Tarasenko's goal scoring ability, but Florida is probably more willing to let him walk as a UFA than trade him if they are in playoff position. The mess with his significant other and Karlsson's family is still concerning to me and diligence would need to be done there.

Kreider: Probably the best non-Hall option that is very likely to be on the market. He's a 25 goal, 50 point player with speed. At 28, he probably will be looking for a longer term deal this summer and if he is then he won't fit into the Rangers' long term plan. The Rangers don't appear to be done with their rebuild this season, so he likely because a trade candidate.

Backstrom: I'll list him because he is an awesome pending UFA, but the Caps are 1st place in the NHL and trying to win another Cup with Ovechkin. I can't fathom him being moved mid-season. If he is, it will only be because they get an absolute King's ransom. If the cost of the rental is a massive haul, make that offer to the Devils.

Soderberg: Don't know how comfortable he is at wing, but he may be an option if Arizona goes into free fall. He is nothing special, but he is a 45+ point guy in a top 6 role. He doesn't replace what Tarasenko does stylistically, but could be a guy that can produce and help get us to the playoffs if we suffer another big injury and the youth can't get it done. He could likely be a positive contributor in a 3rd line role in the playoffs if/when Tarasenko returns and pushes him down the lineup.

Pageau: Ottawa is terrible and there is a decent chance all of their pending UFAs are trade bait. I think Pageau is a really good hockey player, but his strengths aren't at all a Tarasenko replacement. He could be a good candidate to bolster the 3rd line if Thomas/Kyour/Kostin/Fabbri click in Tarasenko's role and we are looking to improve the middle of the offensive lineup.

Namestnikov: Not a sexy pick, but he is a guy who seems to be able to produce with top end talent (and then disappear when he is asked to do more heavy lifting in a 3rd line role). He was great in Tampa and he has been awesome in Ottawa so far this year. He was terrible in New York. He's not my first choice and I don't know how much (if any) he would contribute to the roster in the playoffs once Tarasenko is back. But he could theoretically be a guy who could be a 50 point type player on the top 6. If we are floundering in a month or two and none of Thomas/Kyrou/Kostin are able to fill that role in the top 6, he is an option that probably wouldn't cost a ton. Ottawa will almost certainly be looking to sell him.

That is the full list of pending UFAs that seem to make sense as we stand right now. Obviously some more things will shift as the season progresses and it is always impossible to know exactly what the January/February rental market will look like in October.

 

[MissouriMook]

There is absolutely no reason to assume that acquiring Taylor Hall would have to be done purely as a rental if we re-sign Petro. Obviously you would have to move some other roster pieces, but you do exactly that if it means you can keep a guy like Hall.

For the sake of argument, let's say that both Petro and Hall can be extended long-term for $8.5M each. If you assume Bouwmeester isn't coming back, move Allen and one of Bozak/Steen/Faulk, and went with a one-year bridge on Dunn (which seems likely given his low offensive production so far this season) you would be looking at a roster that comes in around $84M give or take. That is likely to be above the limit, but it gets you close enough that smaller moves (Sanford for a league minimum salary player) and/or carrying a short roster makes it doable.

I don't think there is more than a 10% chance at this point that we would be in on Taylor Hall, but I can guarantee you that if we do decide to take a swing that we are doing it with the idea of figuring out how to keep him, not with the intention of letting him walk.

 

[Brockon]

One thing to note about bringing someone in using the LTIR from Tarasenko: we really can't afford to bring in anything but a rental unless the ship sails on extending Petro. Bringing in any serious salary commitment for 2020/21 closes the door on that extension and I don't think there is any chance Army will be willing to close that door if there is any hope of getting a deal done. This team should still be good enough to make the playoffs so I don't see Petro waiving his NTC. He's playing out the season in St. Louis, so closing the door on contract negotiations mid-season wouldn't be wise.

If we're going to target a big-salary replacement for Tarasenko, it should be a rental.

Taylor Hall is the obvious big name rental assuming NJ can't get a deal done. He is a better player than Tarasenko IMO and I think he can play the "score you an easy goal by doing it all himself" role better than any other realistic avenue. NJ has gotten off to a terrible start and I have to think that an extension is unlikely at this point. They also gave up their 2nd and 3rd this year plus a 2nd rounder next year and have incentive to seek futures assets.

But Hall is going to fetch a hell of an asking price and is far from a slam dunk, so I looked into some other less-obvious guys.

Hoffman: would be a good option to replace a lot of Tarasenko's goal scoring ability, but Florida is probably more willing to let him walk as a UFA than trade him if they are in playoff position. The mess with his significant other and Karlsson's family is still concerning to me and diligence would need to be done there.

Kreider: Probably the best non-Hall option that is very likely to be on the market. He's a 25 goal, 50 point player with speed. At 28, he probably will be looking for a longer term deal this summer and if he is then he won't fit into the Rangers' long term plan. The Rangers don't appear to be done with their rebuild this season, so he likely because a trade candidate.

Backstrom: I'll list him because he is an awesome pending UFA, but the Caps are 1st place in the NHL and trying to win another Cup with Ovechkin. I can't fathom him being moved mid-season. If he is, it will only be because they get an absolute King's ransom. If the cost of the rental is a massive haul, make that offer to the Devils.

Soderberg: Don't know how comfortable he is at wing, but he may be an option if Arizona goes into free fall. He is nothing special, but he is a 45+ point guy in a top 6 role. He doesn't replace what Tarasenko does stylistically, but could be a guy that can produce and help get us to the playoffs if we suffer another big injury and the youth can't get it done. He could likely be a positive contributor in a 3rd line role in the playoffs if/when Tarasenko returns and pushes him down the lineup.

Pageau: Ottawa is terrible and there is a decent chance all of their pending UFAs are trade bait. I think Pageau is a really good hockey player, but his strengths aren't at all a Tarasenko replacement. He could be a good candidate to bolster the 3rd line if Thomas/Kyour/Kostin/Fabbri click in Tarasenko's role and we are looking to improve the middle of the offensive lineup.

Namestnikov: Not a sexy pick, but he is a guy who seems to be able to produce with top end talent (and then disappear when he is asked to do more heavy lifting in a 3rd line role). He was great in Tampa and he has been awesome in Ottawa so far this year. He was terrible in New York. He's not my first choice and I don't know how much (if any) he would contribute to the roster in the playoffs once Tarasenko is back. But he could theoretically be a guy who could be a 50 point type player on the top 6. If we are floundering in a month or two and none of Thomas/Kyrou/Kostin are able to fill that role in the top 6, he is an option that probably wouldn't cost a ton. Ottawa will almost certainly be looking to sell him.

That is the full list of pending UFAs that seem to make sense as we stand right now. Obviously some more things will shift as the season progresses and it is always impossible to know exactly what the January/February rental market will look like in October.

I think your currently available rentals are going to be Toffoli and Kreider. Toffoli should be motivated to put up stats in a contract year, given an opportunity to inflate his worth. Kreider as a LW I'm not sure fits as well as Toffoli who plays both wings?

A guy like Goldobin might be a decent patch, but I'd rather see internal options given a chance first. Goldobin, similarly to Namestikov, produces decently in a top 6 role alongside talent, but isn't effective in a bottom 6 role. Neither of them strike me as good fits for a Berube coached Blues team stylistically.

 

[WeWentBlues]

One thing to note about bringing someone in using the LTIR from Tarasenko: we really can't afford to bring in anything but a rental unless the ship sails on extending Petro. Bringing in any serious salary commitment for 2020/21 closes the door on that extension and I don't think there is any chance Army will be willing to close that door if there is any hope of getting a deal done. This team should still be good enough to make the playoffs so I don't see Petro waiving his NTC. He's playing out the season in St. Louis, so closing the door on contract negotiations mid-season wouldn't be wise.

If we're going to target a big-salary replacement for Tarasenko, it should be a rental.

Taylor Hall is the obvious big name rental assuming NJ can't get a deal done. He is a better player than Tarasenko IMO and I think he can play the "score you an easy goal by doing it all himself" role better than any other realistic avenue. NJ has gotten off to a terrible start and I have to think that an extension is unlikely at this point. They also gave up their 2nd and 3rd this year plus a 2nd rounder next year and have incentive to seek futures assets.

But Hall is going to fetch a hell of an asking price and is far from a slam dunk, so I looked into some other less-obvious guys.

Hoffman: would be a good option to replace a lot of Tarasenko's goal scoring ability, but Florida is probably more willing to let him walk as a UFA than trade him if they are in playoff position. The mess with his significant other and Karlsson's family is still concerning to me and diligence would need to be done there.

Kreider: Probably the best non-Hall option that is very likely to be on the market. He's a 25 goal, 50 point player with speed. At 28, he probably will be looking for a longer term deal this summer and if he is then he won't fit into the Rangers' long term plan. The Rangers don't appear to be done with their rebuild this season, so he likely because a trade candidate.

Backstrom: I'll list him because he is an awesome pending UFA, but the Caps are 1st place in the NHL and trying to win another Cup with Ovechkin. I can't fathom him being moved mid-season. If he is, it will only be because they get an absolute King's ransom. If the cost of the rental is a massive haul, make that offer to the Devils.

Soderberg: Don't know how comfortable he is at wing, but he may be an option if Arizona goes into free fall. He is nothing special, but he is a 45+ point guy in a top 6 role. He doesn't replace what Tarasenko does stylistically, but could be a guy that can produce and help get us to the playoffs if we suffer another big injury and the youth can't get it done. He could likely be a positive contributor in a 3rd line role in the playoffs if/when Tarasenko returns and pushes him down the lineup.

Pageau: Ottawa is terrible and there is a decent chance all of their pending UFAs are trade bait. I think Pageau is a really good hockey player, but his strengths aren't at all a Tarasenko replacement. He could be a good candidate to bolster the 3rd line if Thomas/Kyour/Kostin/Fabbri click in Tarasenko's role and we are looking to improve the middle of the offensive lineup.

Namestnikov: Not a sexy pick, but he is a guy who seems to be able to produce with top end talent (and then disappear when he is asked to do more heavy lifting in a 3rd line role). He was great in Tampa and he has been awesome in Ottawa so far this year. He was terrible in New York. He's not my first choice and I don't know how much (if any) he would contribute to the roster in the playoffs once Tarasenko is back. But he could theoretically be a guy who could be a 50 point type player on the top 6. If we are floundering in a month or two and none of Thomas/Kyrou/Kostin are able to fill that role in the top 6, he is an option that probably wouldn't cost a ton. Ottawa will almost certainly be looking to sell him.

That is the full list of pending UFAs that seem to make sense as we stand right now. Obviously some more things will shift as the season progresses and it is always impossible to know exactly what the January/February rental market will look like in October.

I agree with most of this. The list of names in the previous post weren't meant to represent players I think the Blues should be after but a list of players that I could see being available in the trade market.

I wonder how many of these guys would not be available until the trade deadline. I don't think any team has truly waived the white flag yet.

 

[Blueston]

I think your currently available rentals are going to be Toffoli and Kreider. Toffoli should be motivated to put up stats in a contract year, given an opportunity to inflate his worth. Kreider as a LW I'm not sure fits as well as Toffoli who plays both wings?

A guy like Goldobin might be a decent patch, but I'd rather see internal options given a chance first. Goldobin, similarly to Namestikov, produces decently in a top 6 role alongside talent, but isn't effective in a bottom 6 role. Neither of them strike me as good fits for a Berube coached Blues team stylistically.

Toffoli seems like only practical trade option at this point. Might change in a few months but we likely go with what we have for now.

 

[Brian39]

There is absolutely no reason to assume that acquiring Taylor Hall would have to be done purely as a rental if we re-sign Petro. Obviously you would have to move some other roster pieces, but you do exactly that if it means you can keep a guy like Hall.

For the sake of argument, let's say that both Petro and Hall can be extended long-term for $8.5M each. If you assume Bouwmeester isn't coming back, move Allen and one of Bozak/Steen/Faulk, and went with a one-year bridge on Dunn (which seems likely given his low offensive production so far this season) you would be looking at a roster that comes in around $84M give or take. That is likely to be above the limit, but it gets you close enough that smaller moves (Sanford for a league minimum salary player) and/or carrying a short roster makes it doable.

I don't think there is more than a 10% chance at this point that we would be in on Taylor Hall, but I can guarantee you that if we do decide to take a swing that we are doing it with the idea of figuring out how to keep him, not with the intention of letting him walk.

Probably about $2 mil short on Hall.

Panarin just got $11.6 mil as a UFA. Hall will only be a year older than Panarin was as a UFA and has a Hart trophy on his resume. I don't see him taking a dime less than Panarin's total value and he will likely get more if he wants it. Even if we gave him a slight discount in total dollars from Panarin over 8 years instead of 7, we are talking about $10 mil AAV. Any realistic conversation about Hall's next contract should be an AAV that starts with a 10, even if you assume he is taking a discount.

 

[MissouriMook]

Probably about $2 mil short on Hall.

Panarin just got $11.6 mil as a UFA. Hall will only be a year older than Panarin was as a UFA and has a Hart trophy on his resume. I don't see him taking a dime less than Panarin's total value and he will likely get more if he wants it. Even if we gave him a slight discount in total dollars from Panarin over 8 years instead of 7, we are talking about $10 mil AAV. Any realistic conversation about Hall's next contract should be an AAV that starts with a 10, even if you assume he is taking a discount.

IF he's looking for market value you could be right. I don't see the Panarin deal (or Marner's) as having set the market, but maybe he does. Even if you look at wingers like Benn, Kucherov and Stone, you're in the $9.5M price range.

I also see a guy that has 5 playoff games on his resume. Not that I would hold that against him, but if you send him to the defending Cup champions and have him spend a few months in that locker room, maybe maxing out his next deal suddenly isn't his top priority. This is something Army should have a handle on if he is acquiring the player with the intent of trying to keep him. He will have made around $45M after this season, so 8 x $8.5M would put him at around $113M in lifetime earnings at the end of that deal. Maybe $113M and a chance to win a Cup or two in the next four years looks better to him than $120M-$125M and polishing his Hart Trophy.

 

[SneakerPimp82]

Probably about $2 mil short on Hall.

Panarin just got $11.6 mil as a UFA. Hall will only be a year older than Panarin was as a UFA and has a Hart trophy on his resume. I don't see him taking a dime less than Panarin's total value and he will likely get more if he wants it. Even if we gave him a slight discount in total dollars from Panarin over 8 years instead of 7, we are talking about $10 mil AAV. Any realistic conversation about Hall's next contract should be an AAV that starts with a 10, even if you assume he is taking a discount.

Gunnarsson contract expires, Allen traded, Bouwmeester contract expires, Bozak traded, Steen bought-out, and...? What else? I'm just spitballing ideas as to how to fit an extended Petro and Hall under the cap. Damn, I think that's still about 1.5 million short if we're assuming 10 for Hall and 9 for Petro.

 

[Brian39]

IF he's looking for market value you could be right. I don't see the Panarin deal (or Marner's) as having set the market, but maybe he does. Even if you look at wingers like Benn, Kucherov and Stone, you're in the $9.5M price range.

I also see a guy that has 5 playoff games on his resume. Not that I would hold that against him, but if you send him to the defending Cup champions and have him spend a few months in that locker room, maybe maxing out his next deal suddenly isn't his top priority. This is something Army should have a handle on if he is acquiring the player with the intent of trying to keep him. He will have made around $45M after this season, so 8 x $8.5M would put him at around $113M in lifetime earnings at the end of that deal. Maybe $113M and a chance to win a Cup or two in the next four years looks better to him than $120M-$125M and polishing his Hart Trophy.

Benn signed at 13% of the cap. His $9.5 mil is the equivalent of $10.59 mil today by cap percentage.

Kucherov signed at 11.95% of the cap, which is equivalent to $9.75 mil of today's cap. However, that number included an RFA year and he signed over the summer after a new cap was announced/known. His $9.5 mil deal would have been 12.7% of the cap had he signed the extension mid season like we are talking about with Hall. 12.7% of the current cap would be $10.3 mil AAV. So somewhere between $9.75 and $10.3 mil, but factoring in the fact that the first year was an RFA year.

Stone was also at 11.95% of the cap and he signed mid-season so it is more comparable to what we're talking with Hall. His career high in points is 73 and he had never hit 70 in a season at the time he signed at $9.5 mil.

Even if you just ignore Panarin's deal and use these to set the market, you are still about $2 mil shy at $8.5 mil. Hall is a drastically better offensive player than Stone. I love Stone, but 20 extra points trumps defensive responsibility when you are talking about contract value. Prior to Stone signing his extension, his career best playoff performance was 8 points over 19 playoff games, so Hall's lack of playoff resume isn't bringing him down to Stone's level. Using the comparables you mentioned AND talking about him taking a discount put him in the $10 mil area, not the $8.5 mil area.

 

[Stealth JD]

yeah - organizationally, i just don't see how Hall fits long-term with the Blues current payroll structure. Armuy just gave the interview saying that the Blues are built with depth and deliver death by a thousand cuts. Going all-in for a big-bullet in the chamber simply isn't his M.O.
As a rental? Sure...
As a perma-piece? Man...that's going to take some major roster re-tooling. I'd love to see it, especially if it's a situation where you'll have all next off-season to figure it out...
Maybe we can trade Faulk before his NTC kicks in.

 

[BlueDream]

yeah - organizationally, i just don't see how Hall fits long-term with the Blues current payroll structure. Armuy just gave the interview saying that the Blues are built with depth and deliver death by a thousand cuts. Going all-in for a big-bullet in the chamber simply isn't his M.O.
As a rental? Sure...
As a perma-piece? Man...that's going to take some major roster re-tooling. I'd love to see it, especially if it's a situation where you'll have all next off-season to figure it out...
Maybe we can trade Faulk before his NTC kicks in.

It’s kinda funny how you post this when we just traded for Faulk, no? Not to mention the O’Reilly trade last year.

I’m not saying we are going after Hall at all, but Armstrong says the opposite of what he does literally all the time. I don’t know why anyone takes his word seriously anymore. He pretty much never reveals his plans publicly.

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

yeah - organizationally, i just don't see how Hall fits long-term with the Blues current payroll structure. Armuy just gave the interview saying that the Blues are built with depth and deliver death by a thousand cuts. Going all-in for a big-bullet in the chamber simply isn't his M.O.
As a rental? Sure...
As a perma-piece? Man...that's going to take some major roster re-tooling. I'd love to see it, especially if it's a situation where you'll have all next off-season to figure it out...
Maybe we can trade Faulk before his NTC kicks in.

i thought Faulks NTC kicked in the moment he signed the extension? I know your probably being sarcastic but I just wanted clarification.

 

[Stealth JD]

i thought Faulks NTC kicked in the moment he signed the extension? I know your probably being sarcastic but I just wanted clarification.

You're correct: Faulk signed a 7 year contract extension on September 24, 2019 which also included a Full No Trade Clause be added to the final year of his current deal.

It’s kinda funny how you post this when we just traded for Faulk, no? Not to mention the O’Reilly trade last year.

I’m not saying we are going after Hall at all, but Armstrong says the opposite of what he does literally all the time. I don’t know why anyone takes his word seriously anymore. He pretty much never reveals his plans publicly.

I was referring to the 'big-bullet' as the contract that Hall would surely command. $7.5M as the ceiling allows the Blues to collect 'star's without paying for a super-star. Hall would change that, and almost certainly cost you one of your other stars in the process. Hall would definitely be an upgrade on whomever was forced out, but long-term how do you fit $10M for a winger, $9.X for your 1D and keep the rest of the guys. Somebody is surely getting dealt in that scenario.

 

[Brian39]

It’s kinda funny how you post this when we just traded for Faulk, no? Not to mention the O’Reilly trade last year.

I’m not saying we are going after Hall at all, but Armstrong says the opposite of what he does literally all the time. I don’t know why anyone takes his word seriously anymore. He pretty much never reveals his plans publicly.

I don't think you understood Army's point.

His point was that we have a lot of guys who are wealthy and on 'big' contracts but no guys who are comically rich on massive contracts. $6.5 mil and $7.5 mil are big contracts. Hall's next contract will be a massive one. Being willing to have a number of guys like Faulk/ROR on big contracts instead of a couple guys on top 10 contracts is exactly what he was talking about.

I'm not taking Army at his word. I'm looking at Capfriendly and observing how the team is constructed. Throughout Army's entire tenure we have built a deep group instead of a top-heavy one. ROR is the 46th highest paid player in the NHL. Faulk's extension currently makes him the 79th highest paid player next year. Hall is going to easily be top 20 next year and will likely be top 10. He is a whole different level of player than Army has ever targeted.

 

[LGB]

Rentals are always a bad idea

 

[medkit]

There is no way we are getting Hall's next contract... I think to try and do the backflips to convince yourself otherwise is a waste of time. I do think it's possible we could grab him at the TDL as a pure rent if the Devils are still bottom feeders and their season is shot, but they aren't going to make that move right now. That isn't going to happen until near the TDL if it happens. That's a long, long, long ways away.

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

It will be interesting how this plays out and what Armstrong’s thoughts on a strategy to deal with it are at this point. We need to make the playoffs and still do damage once we get there.

Even if Tarasenko comes back for the Playoffs (unlikely imho) he also isn’t likely to produce in the Playoffs. This is based on his previous injury to the same shoulder in April 2018 and following surgery. His shot was off and he wasn’t producing well until December or January. That’s eight months.

It’s doubtful any big name one year UFA is traded until the deadline anyways so we have to look to Thomas, Fabbri, Sanford, Kryou, and Kostin to step up until then.

Can someone who is good with the Salary Cap answer this question , how much cap space would we have at the TDL after Vladi’s LTIR? My understanding is any acquisition on that date is prorated moving forwards. Does that means we can fit some monster contracts?

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I think this injury may be the mental note the team needs to buy in and play the grinding style they need to to be successful. Its a team response. Whoever takes Vlad's place needs to play a high energy game. If its a young guy, you can expect they will.

 

[STL BLUES]

Is it possible to do a rental for a rental? Like suppose you’re Armstrong and you’re well over 90% certain Petro isn’t going to sign. Do you move a rental defenseman for a rental forward?