The St. Louis Blues endured a difficult season in 2023-24 as the team failed to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second consecutive year. General manager Doug Armstrong is clearly running out of patience with the team that won the only Stanley Cup in team history five years ago.
The Blues could make a number of personnel moves in the offseason as Armstrong wants desperately to field a team that is capable of a long playoff run. The Blues were 43-33-6 last season and there was very little consistency. It was a frustrating season for management, the player and the team's fans.
NHL insider Frank Servalli brought up left wing Brandon Saad's name as a possible trade candidate for the Blues. It is a bit of a surprise to see his name, because Saad scored 26 goals last season for St. Louis. That figure tied for the second-best goal total of his career and it also allowed him to tie Robert Thomas for fourth in goals on the team. Jordan Kyrou led the Blues in goal scoring with 31 markers.
Armstrong should be able to find some teams that are interested in Saad, because he is a 13-year veteran who has demonstrated some ability around the net. That's a characteristic that all teams value and a player like Saad could prove beneficial.
Additionally, Saad has two years remaining on his contract, and each of those years carry a $4.5 million cap hit.
Saad has a no-trade provision in his contract, and that could be an issue for Blues
The problem for the Blues in working a potential trade for Saad is that the 31-year-old has a no-trade provision in his contract. That means the Blues would have to approach him and get his approval if the team can find a willing trade partner.
When a player has a no-trade provision it can lead to a very sticky situation for the team and the player. If the player doesn't feel like going to a particular team that is willing to trade for him, he certainly has that right to reject the move. But staying with a team that wanted to send him packing can lead to a level of resentment.
It works both ways. If the player rejects the trade, the employing team may develop a sense of anger for holding the team back.
The Blues could be one of the more active teams when it comes to making trades in the offsesason. Servalli also suggested that center Pavel Buchnevich could be moved, and the Blues would also like to shake up their defensive crew.
The defensemen who could be on the move include Torey Krug, Nick Leddy and Justin Faulk. The Blues and the Philadelphia Flyers nearly completed a trade for Krug last offseason, but the former Boston Bruin had a no-trade clause and rejected the deal. Leddy and Faulk also have n0-trade clauses in their contracts.
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