St. Louis Blues Draft Day Rumors: T.J. Oshie Being Shopped
As things stand now, the St. Louis Blues don’t have a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, which could be detrimental to an organization that will have to move on from several of their established veteran players in the next several years as forwards Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz command front-line salaries and Paul Stastny continues to make $7 million per season. With the Blues at somewhat of a crossroads, having been knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in three straight years, there’s growing speculation that the front office will shake up the roster for 2015-16, whether it be in a trade for a first-rounder or for another established veteran.
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Though forwards Alexander Steen and David Backes and defenseman Jay Bouweester have also been brought up as possible subjects of trade discussion, the biggest name in these talks thus far seems to be forward T.J. Oshie. As the league prepares for the draft in the coming hours, several rumors have circulated about Oshie’s immediate future.
John Shannon of SportsNet in Canada reports that the Blues are desperate for a first-round pick, and speculates that Oshie could be involved in a deal:
Hearing St Louis wants a first rounder badly. Do they move a core piece to do it? Backe? Oshie? Steen? #NHLDraft
— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) June 26, 2015
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Blues beat reporter, Jeremy Rutherford, the Blues have had discussions with the Pittsburgh Penguins about a trade, and Oshie could be involved:
"#stlblues and #penguins have had trade talks and it’s believed Oshie’s name has been involved. Nothing imminent.— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 26, 2015"
This rumor could be of particular intrigue due to the fact that the Blues and Penguins have been rather frequent trade partners since Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford took over last summer. Rutherford and Blues GM Doug Armstrong orchestrated a swap of fourth-line centers Maxim Lapierre and Marcel Goc following the All-Star break this year, then worked a deadline deal that sent defenseman Ian Cole to the Penguins in exchange for Robert Bortuzzo. Those two trades have worked well for both teams, so it stands to reason that the two general managers could look to make a deal once again.