St. Louis Blues: 28-24-9, 65 pts, 13th in West, 5th in Central
Status: Seller
While the Blues made one of the biggest offseason splashes with their acquisition of former Montreal netminder Jaroslav Halak, their hopes for playoff glory will have to wait at least another season. The Blues struggled to keep up in the hotly-contested Western Conference playoff race, and while they still sit just 6 points out of the playoffs, it seems highly unlikely that they’ll be able to climb past the five teams that sit between them and a playoff berth.
Perhaps taking a cue from the Maple Leafs, the Blues got a headstart on their trade deadline moves with one of the biggest blockbuster trades in recent memory. Their trading partner, the Colorado Avalanche, like the Blues, is virtually guaranteed to miss the playoffs as well, so both teams were clearly looking to remedy some of the failures that hindered their clubs during this campaign. It will probably take a few seasons to determine who ended up winning this trade, although the Blues will certainly be happy with what they got. While they did give up their first round pick in the 2011 draft and their former number one overall pick in defenseman Erik Johnson, they got back some impressive young talent in Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk.
For a team that has struggled offensively in the past, the addition of another strong power forward in Stewart will take some of the heat off of David Backes, and continue to open some room up for some of the Blues smaller forwards. Shattenkirk was in the midst of an impressive rookie season, and while he’s certainly not the caliber of defenseman that Johnson was, he will be a legitimate contributor. 
In addition to the Johnson mega-deal, the Blues also sent their captain Eric Brewer to Tampa Bay, in exchange for prospect Brock Beukeboom and a third round pick. Brewer’s contract was set to expire, and the 31 year old defenseman with a $4.25 million cap hit obviously wasn’t in the team’s plans for the future. Better to get something for him now than let him walk for free in the summer.
That said, the Blues will likely still be looking to make some moves, as they could definitely add some scoring depth. Stewart’s acquisition will certainly help remedy their scoring woes, but they could probably use an additional top-six forward as well.
