The St. Louis Blues were one of the most active teams on deadline day, completing three trades which addressed needs both at defense and in terms of their depth. The Blues acquired Zbynek Michalek, Robert Bortuzzo and Olli Jokinen over the course of the day and in doing so they gave Blues fans a lot to talk about.
Let’s break this down.
The Blues ended up receiving Michalek, Bortuzzo, Jokinen and a couple of conditional draft picks. They parted with Ian Cole, Joakim Lindstrom, prospect Maxim Letunov and a conditional pick.
The moves above weren’t glamorous, but each one addressed a specific need. The Blues have lacked size and any sort of composure on defense and they’ve addressed both issues through Michalek and Bortuzzo. Where Michalek is the more talented of the two, Bortuzzo is all about size and is now the largest defenseman on paper (6’4″, 215 pounds) on the St. Louis roster. The Blues sacrificed offensive skill (Cole) to bring in a bit more muscle (Bortuzzo). Michalek’s injury may scare some off, which is fair considering how fickle concussions can be, but if he’s healthy he can be a stable, shot-blocking defenseman.
The third trade of the day brought a veteran (Jokinen) into the mix for the low cost of Lindstrom and a pick. Considering Lindstrom has been a healthy scratch and has effectively and dominantly played his way out of the lineup, there was really no sense keeping him. Aside from bringing in some veteran experience, Jokinen can be a solid replacement should the Blues suffer an injury on one of their top three lines or should they want to shake things up.
All in all, the Blues made three low-risk trades. They weren’t glamorous, but each one tactfully addressed a need.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
