St. Louis Blues probably not done in 2018 Trade Market

According to rumors, the St. Louis Blues would still be interested in a free agent this summer. However, given their salary cap, they are probably not yet on the market.

It's no secret that the St. Louis Blues are taking a big step to free agent Pat Maroon. It meets the Blues' need to have a clean front presence and a larger body that can create space for their playmakers. The fact that he's from St. Louis is just a cherry on the cake

However, something forgotten by many in the Maroon's pursuit by the team is the dreaded salary cap. The Blues still have room, with a projected budget of 5 million dollars . However, they still have restricted free agents Joel Edmundson and Jordan Schmaltz to sign.

Yep. They are about $ 5 million under the ceiling with Edmundson and Schmaltz to sign. The club is still interested in Maroon, so apparently making a move when he signs with them. #stlblues https://t.co/AcuavQjAqf

– Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 7, 2018

Trying to understand the space, we need to make some badumptions potential wages. If the Blues give Schmaltz the contract safely, he will probably get a one – year contract worth about $ 1 million, to give or take.

The Edmundson contract will be a little harder to understand. Both parties want to extend it for a while, baduming it should not go to arbitration.

Edmundson 's latest deal paid him a little over a million dollars. The hard part is that it could theoretically cost $ 2 to $ 5 million, depending on what he asks for and the value the Blues give him.

For the sake of argument, let's say that he gets a decent but not overwhelming increase. So, we will say that Edmunson gets a contract worth $ 3 to $ 3.5 million. So, if Schmaltz gets about $ 1 million, that's $ 4-4.5 million that went from $ 5 million.

Needless to say, this is not enough room for Maroon's contract. Even though Maroon is content with the $ 2 million that he has received from Edmonton, which he will not do, St. Louis will not have it. " space.

This brings us to the conclusion that someone is still going away. From a purely financial point of view, there are three players that make the most sense.

The first, but least likely, would be Carl Gunnarsson. The Gunnarsson agreement would probably be a direct exchange of money. He earns $ 2.9 million, but only for one more season. The Blues would be back in a potential cap crisis in a year.

Another option would be to find a team to take Jay Bouwmeester out of the hands of the Blues. Bouwmeester has just been released from hip surgery and he still has one year left at $ 5.4 million. Probably, the Blues would need to find a team trying to overcome the ceiling. There are only a handful of these teams and most might not be interested in a 34-year-old defenseman.

The last option could be Alexander Steen. Steener is the best option in terms of dollars and term. He still has three seasons on a contract that brings him $ 5.75 million per season. It's probably more than what he's worth and he's been given more as a reward for everything he's done for the team in the past.

The other positive idea behind Steen's trade would be to open another slot before. If Maroon entered by signing, then there would be almost no room for any prospects. The removal of an attacker gives Maroon a place while allowing a younger player to win a place.

Conversely, the disadvantage of either Steen or Bouwmeester trader is the fact that it would mainly act as a payday dump. You can not retrieve a list reader or you re-create logging. This could be a necessary evil, but it seems a shame to trade players who are paid $ 5 million or more for a draft pick.

The other reason why one should almost not include a player who comes back into a trade is the idea that you can not have too much turnover. Fans are excited about the new additions, but most teams need more than one training camp to get together. If you have replaced half of your first 12 forwards, it could be too much of a turnover.

In addition, it is counterproductive. Steen came out of his worst season in almost a decade and still had 46 points. While Maroon would provide a much needed net presence, he is coming out of his best season, but only has 43 points.

The only other viable option would be to exchange Dmitirj Jaskin. It seems a bit of a slap in the face to sign someone for an extension and send them away immediately though.

However, at this point, we should probably prepare for someone's departure. It seems unlikely that the Blues will get that far with Maroon without knowing that someone would make room.

Time will tell, but we should not wait long. The Maroon agent seems to pull this process a bit, but it can not last forever.

Brown Update: Agent @BenHankinson told The Athletic that no decision is expected tonight, and that while the Blues remains a "strong option", he there are still other teams in the mix. #stlblues

– Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) 9 July 2018

If and when the blues sign he can not wait long for the dollars to work elsewhere. So, although Armstrong hinted that the team had finished after the Ryan O'Reilly acquisition, this could be all but the case as more moves would be needed.