Is This the End of the Budget Blues in St. Louis?

Is This the End of the Budget Blues in St. Louis? by Alex Hodschayan

The St. Louis Blues have not made quite the splash that many fans hoped they would in free agency this season, but that does not mean that the Blues are finished building their team.

With the signing of Derek Roy and the pending contracts that will be handed out to Alex Pietrangelo, Chris Stewart, and Jake Allen, many fans believe that a big trade is on the horizon.

Well, maybe those fans are right.

According to St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong, a trade may be coming.

You’re never done, but we are very comfortable with the group we have right now.

Whenever Armstrong has said that he was comfortable, a trade came shortly after. Just look back to the trade deadline.

April 21 2013; Denver, CO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (19) during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

When the Blues picked up Jordan Leopold, he said he was comfortable. Days later Jay Bouwmeester was brought in as well.

So who might be on the chopping block for the Blues? Well, look no further than the GM himself to begin your assumptions,

Well, Wayne Gretzky got traded. I would say everybody is available. Some guys are not likely to be traded, but you would be foolish to say … if the MVP of the league was made available, and they called you and said, ‘We need this piece, do you want it?’ You never want to paint yourself deep into that corner.

Many fans have pointed to Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott as possible trade bait, but again, the GM might not agree.

Jake came up and played very well for us last year. But he still has some growth he can do. I don’t think playing in the American Hockey League would stunt his development. Jaro and Elliott won the Jennings just two short years ago. … If we go into the season with these three goalies, that’s excellent depth.

So while Armstrong is not necessarily ruling out the possibility of moving one of his netminders, don’t get your hopes up.

What do you think Blues fans? Is Armstrong working on a big deal or is this all just smoke? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

More as we have it.

LET’S GO BLUES!

-Alex Hodschayan