Ron Chenoy – USA TODAY Sports
The St. Louis Blues made some big moves at the trade deadline, most notably their trade for former Calgary Flames defenseman Jay Bouwmeester. After seeing their postseason run end earlier than they had hoped for, a look back at the trade shows some concerns but that it was still an overall wise move for the Blues.
When looking back at the trade, it’s important to get the cons of the deal out of the way first. Bouwmeester is now the highest-paid player on the roster, and his cap hit of more than $6 million doesn’t give the Blues much to work with. The Blues also have an overabundance of left-handed defenseman, which could lead to another move this offseason.
Now, moving on to the positives. First off, the Blues didn’t have to part with much considering how badly they wanted Bouwmeester. They sent AHL defenseman Mark Cundari, the rights to goaltender Reto Berra and a 2013 first round draft pick to the Flames – there’s some potential there, but few guarantees. Bouwmeester may not put up the offensive numbers he used to, but with Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo in the fold that really isn’t an issue. The Blues won six of their last seven regular season games and then saw every game of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings decided by one goal, a testament to how close their defense has been able to keep things. Expectations will be high next season and Bouwmeester really needs to deliver, but so far the trade has definitely worked out in the Blues’ favor.
Jonathan Katje is an NHL senior writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your circles on Google Plus.
