The St. Louis Blues put in a late challenge for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. They struggled to begin the year, and even fired head coach Craig Berube after a loss to the Detroit Red Wings before the calendar flipped. But they responded well to interim coach Drew Bannister and challenged the Vegas Golden Knights for the final playoff spot in the West.
The Blues removed Bannister's interim tag after their late-season resurgence. And this summer, St. Louis has made some interesting moves to try and improve their roster for the year ahead. They have been especially active on the trade front, making four different deals. Three of these deals involved adding players to their roster.
If St. Louis continues to add to their roster, it's likely to come through the trade market. There are more impactful options to be had through trade at this point in the offseason. Let's take a look at two potential Blues trade targets to consider after NHL Free Agency.
Blues could call about Marco Rossi
At the end of last season, St. Louis relied on a few wingers to shift to the middle of the ice to play center. Jordan Kyrou can play center, but is better suited on the wing. Additionally, Kasperi Kapanen is a winger by trade, but played center at times this past season. The Blues addressed this by acquiring Radek Faska and Alexandre Texier this summer.
However, they also traded center Kevin Hayes to the Pittsburgh Penguins. As a result, there is room to add a center to this roster. That's where young Minnesota Wild pivot Marco Rossi comes in. Rossi had a breakout season for the Wild this season. He scored 21 goals and 40 points in 82 games this year.
It's unlikely that the Wild truly want to trade Rossi. He is finally showing the promise they saw in him when they made him a top-10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. That said, if he continues to emerge, he will likely demand an expensive long-term contract when he hits restricted free agency. And with Brock Faber needing an extension, the Wild may not be able to afford this.
The Blues would also struggle to sign him to an extension, to be fair. But they could certainly find ways to clear cap space if needed. A Rossi trade allows the Wild to sell high while St. Louis adds a legitimate second-line center, allowing Pavel Buchnevich to move back to the wing. It's a complicated scenario, but it could work wonders for all involved.
Kaapo Kakko is an intriguing option
The Blues have a lot of talent on the wing already. Jake Neighbours and Jordan Kyrou impressed last season, and Buchnevich is one of the best scoring wingers in the league. Veteran Brandon Saad also had a career year after scoring 26 goals in 82 games. That said, they could still take a chance on a young winger with upside such as Kaapo Kakko.
Hockey fans are familiar with Kakko's situation by now. The New York Rangers made him the second-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. However, he has struggled for the majority of his career. He did put up 40 points in 2022-23, but he struggled to maintain that form in 2023-24. He also dealt with injuries for parts of this past campaign.
A Kakko trade is more likely to be a “hockey trade” at this point as New York is unlikely to be interested in a collection of picks and prospects. That said, Kakko could provide St. Louis a bit of insurance. If he performs well down the lineup, he could earn more ice time as the season goes on. Especially if one of the top-six wingers underperforms. Overall, it's an interesting fit with the Blues for the former second-overall pick of the Rangers.
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