Despite being in the thick of the Central Division’s playoff hunt, the St. Louis Blues made the rather surprising decision of dealing away centre Paul Stastny to their divisional rivals, the Winnipeg Jets, for future assets in prospect Erik Foley and draft picks.
Clearly, Blues centre Brayden Schenn didn’t love the signals being sent by his team:
Stastny had to waive a no-trade clause as part of the trade, and Winnipeg is hardly a destination city, but the reality is that he has a much better chance of winning the Stanley Cup as a member of the Jets. The Blues’ chances dwindle even further with his departure, and for players who have competed all season long to remain in the chase, this surely comes as a rough emotional blow by their front office.
That doesn’t mean it was a bad trade, necessarily. Stastny’s contract expires in the summer, and it’s not unreasonable for the Blues to want to recoup a future asset while they still can. Like the Chicago Blackhawks’ Ryan Hartman trade earlier in the day, the Blues were able to get a first rounder back for an impending free agent, and decided to go through with it.
Still, you have to wonder about the locker room repercussions of such a trade. For their part, Blues fans seem somewhat divided in their reactions:
(H/T: Jermey Rutherford)
