3 Blues trade targets after Jets series loss

The St. Louis Blues used a 12-game winning streak at the end of the year to make the playoffs. They then took the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets to seven games before falling to the Jets in the playoffs. Now, we look at the top three trade targets for the Blues this offseason.

The Blues enter the offseason needing to take care of in-house targets first. Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter are some of the few unrestricted free agents. The Blues also need to work to re-sign Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. The Blues will also need to make a decision on Jordan Kyrou, who has a no-trade clause going into effect on July 1st. Still, according to CapWages, St. Louis is expected to have $15.5 million in cap space going into this offseason to work with their players and other free agents.

With that little cap space and in-house players to manage, the Blues will turn to the trade market to continue upgrading their roster. The top targets for the Blues will be on defense, with an aging defensive core. Still, the Blues will also need help in the middle-six of their forwards, bolstering depth and third-line production.

The Blues target a young defenseman

The Blues need to add some youth to their defensive rotation. Of their top six defenders in ice-time per game this year, only Philip Broberg was under the age of 32. This includes Ryan Suter, who will be turning 41 next season. Of their current eight defenders under an NHL contract, only three are under the age of 30.

The best option on the market is Evan Bouchard of the Oilers. Bouchard is a restricted free agent whom the Oilers may look to re-sign. Still, the Oilers are projected to have just nine million in available cap space next year. They also have multiple other current unrestricted free agents to sign, plus Connor McDavid entering the last year of his deal.

While the Blues could sign Bouchard to an offer sheet, that could cost multiple draft picks, including two first-rounders. Working a trade would be a better option. Bouchard was on the ice 23:27  per game this year, giving him top defensive pair minutes. He was also great on the power play and an offensive threat, which would be a huge upgrade for the Blues. He will turn 26 at the beginning of the season as well. This would add some youth to this aging defensive unit.

Another option for the Blues could be a trade with the Sabres. Bowen Byram is a restricted free agent, and the Sabres have enough cap room to re-sign him. This would give the Sabres a top-four defense, with all four being 26 years old or under. That would make a third pairing defender in Jacob Bryson expendable.

Bryson would be a rental, with just one year left on his contract, but at just $900,000, he is affordable. The 27-year-old averaged 14:43 of ice time this year and would be a solid addition to the third defensive pairing. He is a solid shot blocker and could also help the Blues’ penalty kill, which ranked 27th in the NHL this past year. While he does not help the power play like Evan Bouchard, he is a less expensive option that will fill a need.

The Blues target middle-six help