I don't get the idea of moving Bouwmeester. That creates even more imbalance of right to left D-men.
Too many are in love with the idea of moving Parayko to his off side. I view Parayko as a precious commodity, and the Blues should do everything they can to maximize his development. That includes allowing him to grow in the league at his natural position (on the right). Sure, he hasn't looked horribly less effective on the left, but its only relative to the large drop-off we see when either Shattenkirk or Pietro are move there. But its not optimal for Colton and I feel its a mistake for that to be Plan A for him at this stage in his career.
Bouwmeester has been much better this year than last, no doubt. I suppose we can attribute the poor play last year to injury.
But when the puck is on Bouwmeester's stick in the offensive zone, I expect nothing good to happen. How did this guy ever score 15 goals in a season in the NHL, as he did twice in the 2007-2009 years?
The man is kind of a mystery to me. He isn't a big hitter, he doesn't fight, he doesn't excel in positional battles in front of the goal, and he has no offense to his game. He doesn't rack up assists from moving the puck out of the defensive zone. He must be VERY good at other aspects of defense to be able to stay in the league.