March is approaching quickly, meaning the trade deadline is almost here, and teams are more likely to make some moves. For the St. Louis Blues, it is tough to say whether or not they will be buyers or sellers at the deadline, but as of right now, it seems like they’re not even eager to make a trade.
It’s an odd sight too, with Blues general manager Doug Armstrong making two massive trades last season (around this point in February), including Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly, and Ivan Barbashev getting dealt elsewhere for picks and prospects that could potentially change the course of the franchise in the future. As of right now, the Blues have a lot of players who could be traded in a massive deal closer to March 8 (Trade Deadline). Here are three underrated players the Blues should trade at the trade deadline.
Jordan Kyrou
After what we saw in December with the boos he received, Jordan Kyrou is a very underrated player, and the idea of trading Kyrou isn’t something to shy away from if it means grabbing something that could help the Blues push for the playoffs by the end of the season. After all, this season he hasn’t been what we thought he would’ve been in the preseason predictions as a top point scorer for Blues, however, he’s picked up his point production since then. The amount of value Kyrou possesses could be worth a trade for a better defenseman around playoff time or maybe just a few first-round picks. A few days ago, The Hockey Writers mentioned teams that could be good candidates for a Kyrou trade, such as the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators.
At 25 years old, Kyrou is still at a good age where he can thrive on another team if traded and has the potential to be better. A Kyrou trade will also give them a massive opening in their cap space, as he has an average annual salary (AAV) of about $8.125 million for the next seven seasons. This season, Kyrou has 47 points through 59 games played. He hasn’t exactly been on pace for 40 goals this season, but I could see him getting to 30 goals or at least just short of 30 goals by the end of the season.
Kasperi Kapanen
For most of the season, Kasperi Kapanen has been a great bottom-six forward, as well as a special teams gem on the power play, but he’s recently found his struggling point in the season. He was placed as a healthy scratch by head coach Drew Bannister on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers and has 15 points through 51 games played. That being said, he still brings little things to his game that can be useful as mentioned in a previous article where I talked about potential forwards on the Blues that could be worth trading, and Kapanen has that underrated aspect to his game.
Related: Blues’ Kyrou & Thomas Extensions: What Are the Early Returns?
He brings a lot of speed to the lineup that will be useful when the playoffs arrive, not to forget, he’s a player that can also get you 20 goals if paired with the right group of players. Right now, it’s best to trade for him while he’s low value, and also a good time to continue experimenting with prospects such as their recent call-up Zachary Bolduc and maybe very soon Jimmy Snuggerud.
Kapanen has a great ability to capture the puck as he averages about 2.05 takeaways per 60 minutes, which is not bad for a bottom-six forward, considering he’s not getting the top minutes that he had with the Toronto Maple Leafs when he had his 20-goal season. To add to the variety of upside potential in Kapanen, he’s only 27 years old and has an AAV of $3.2 million, and will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of next season.
Paul Fischer
The Blues’ fifth-round (138th overall) pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, Paul Fischer, is a defenseman that is under the radar and I think can be useful for teams looking to find a cheaper defensive defenseman on the left side. The Blues already have enough left defensemen with talent and don’t really need a guy like Fischer in the long run. Fischer is 19 years old right now and has 16 points through 32 games played this season with the University of Notre Dame. I could see him being a future second-line defenseman on another team at the NHL level, and at 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds, he has the frame to be a big defensive presence.
In 2023, he served with Team USA in the U18 World Junior Championship, where they won gold, and showed some scoring examples in the World Junior Summer Showcase in July 2023, where he scored against Finland in a 4-1 victory. It may be tough to sell him, but I think he is someone the Blues can add onto in a big trade as some added value to avoid trading draft picks.
Final Thoughts
The options for underrated trade bait are very dense for the Blues as they have nothing to really give up other than forwards, and their defenseman with value is tied up in no-trade clauses. The only thing they can rely on for a big trade is giving up a crucial forward or prospect that can boost their chances of getting someone to fill in their needs. As of right now, it wouldn’t be wise for them to give up too many picks either, but with the prospect depth flowing well, giving up at least one draft pick wouldn’t hurt if they really have to.
