The St. Louis Blues’ involvement in trade rumors continues to grow, with the most recent link connecting them to Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson.
According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, he’s hearing that the Blues are “sniffing around” in trade discussions involving Pettersson.
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“Somebody told me this morning that St. Louis is sniffing around Pettersson,” said Dhaliwal. “I’m looking into it to see if it’s true. The way it’s been told to me is if the Canucks think they have a deal for Pettersson that makes sense for them, I am sure they will then take that deal to Pettersson’s agents, J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson, to see if Pettersson will waive.”
The reports are interesting to say the least. While trading for Pettersson would have its benefits, as it truly gives the Blues a strong one-two punch down the middle of the ice, Pettersson is now 27 years old and carries a contract worth $11.6 million for six more seasons.
The Blues would need to drastically alter their lineup to become contenders, and unless they do so, trading for Pettersson would only upgrade their roster marginally, and not enough to compete with the best teams in the Central Division, like the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and even the Utah Mammoth.
27 is not old in the slightest, but by the time the Blues are ready to compete again, Pettersson could be trending towards the downswing of his career, which brings plenty of risk.
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Add to the fact that the two worst seasons of his NHL career have come in his last two campaigns, and it brings another element of uncertainty and risk.
The Canucks are open to retaining some of Pettersson’s salary, which does soften the blow of making such a monumental move.
In addition to the Blues, the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings are reportedly interested in Pettersson, while other teams around the NHL could explore trade options once a price tag becomes clearer.
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