Blues-Avs Erik Johnson trade analysis

To cap off a crazy day on the trade front, St. Louis has traded former No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson, Jay McClement and a conditional first-round pick to the Avalanche for Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk and a second-round pick.I don’t even know where to begin with this one. I was so caught off-guard by this trade that I think my jaw is still on the floor. My first impression was: How can Colorado deal youngsters like Stewart and Shattenkirk? Then it turned to: Why is St. Louis giving up on Johnson now?Stewart, 23, is going to be an animal in St. Louis. Can you imagine a top two lines featuring great, young power forwards like Stewart and David Backes? Or how about Shattenkirk, 22, joining a blueline that features fellow youngster Alex Pietrangelo?Stewart has the potential to pot 30 or 40 goals when he reaches his potential; he netted 28 a year ago in his second full NHL season. Shattenkirk has started to tail off in his rookie year, but has endless offensive potential from...