Kevin Shattenkirk and the St. Louis Blues are having rough times. They recently ended a five-game losing streak after having just escaped Staples Center with a 2-1 shootout win on Saturday night. The team is barely clinging onto their third-place spot in the Central Division, and now, there are reports that Shattenkirk is on the trade block.
As new rumors swarm that the Tampa Bay Lightning are offering a straight-forward Jonathan Drouin for Shattenkirk, I do believe that St. Louis could make that move, but in my opinion, they should ask for more in return.
Shattenkirk has eight goals and 17 assists on the season. He is the second-pairing left-handed defenseman for the Blues, only behind Alex Pietrangelo. However, what is great about Shattenkirk is his ability to quarterback a power play. He has 11 PP assists, and that is what the Lightning needs; they have 18.2 percent success on the power play.
However, it would be a huge loss for St. Louis. Shattenkirk is one of their leaders in ice time and among their best shot blockers. If the team loses him, behind Jay Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo, the team will lose depth on defense and in exchange, they will get an inexperienced 2013 third-overall pick.
On the contrary, the almost 27-year-old is a minus-14 and an unrestricted free agent next season. If the Blues make a trade, they don’t need to worry about resigning him next season and can focus on the big name players.
This season, Drouin has two goals and six assists with the Lightning, and suddenly requested a trade after just 19 games. The 20-year-old had four goals and 28 assists in his rookie campaign last year with Tampa Bay, but has not been able to replicate his results this year. The team has sent him down to Syracuse, where 16 NHL scouts from different teams were watching him play.
There are positives for the Blues if they get Drouin in return. They can play him with Vladimir Tarasenko, giving them a great offensive threat. On the other hand, Shattenkirk would be a huge loss on the backend, so if I were the Blues, I would inquire about a defenseman from Tampa Bay too. They could make this a better deal, considering they’d be giving up a young defenseman with a ton of potential and skill.
While Drouin may be a hit or miss, the Blues would need to fill a huge gap if they let Shattenkirk walk.
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