Mayfield: Blues get a young, cost-controlled crease clearing stay-at-home type to provide the physical element Parayko lacked, which should help Dunn's game. Blues give up a NHL-ready offensive-minded defenseman with nice size, plus a versatile 2-way veteran forward who will help the Islanders on both sides of the ice, plus a 3rd round pick. An overpayment, but NYI need incentive to move the StL native they just inked to an extension--and he's precisely the player the Blues need.
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[Note: O'Reilly deal scrapped in lieu of Hoffman trade]
Hoffman: Kostin, Walman, J-Bo and a 1st is a lot to give up, but this rounds out the top six nicely for StL--allowing Schenn to remain at C between Schwartz and Draisatl. Bouwmeester and Walman immediately open a lot of possibilities for Ottowa, and gives them the flexibility to make some hard decisions hurt a lot less. Kostin gives them a scrappy power forward prospect with size and skill, and the 1st round pick makes this an offer that will not likely be beaten. I think they take it--and Hoffman, for his part, would jump at the chance to play with Tavares and Tarasenko.
Draisatl: Parayko, Thompson, Barbashev and a 1st for Draisatl and a 3rd is a HUGE overpayment. But while Parayko has potential to be the best player in this deal, Draisatl currently IS the best player in this deal, and it will take an overpayment to get him. Thompson has size, skill and a lot of upside. Barbashev proved versatile and effective paired with talented linemates. And Parayko instantly becomes a difference maker on defense for a defensively starved club.
Sobotka and Thorburn are salary dumps. The eventual return of Gunnarsson (around Christmas, I expect) will likely force another move. Steen is paired with Thomas and Kyrou, providing some defensive stability through the rookies' growing pains, while complementing their skill with his tenacity. Steen historically has been most productive when playing more limited minutes, so this third line veteran assignment should be good for him. If Thomas struggles, Schenn returns to 2nd line C, and O'Reilly moves down to 3rd.
Finally, extending Brodziak and adding Roussel and Grabner, ensures the Blues have a viable 4th line that adds toughness and skill without sacrificing speed. Soshnikov and Blais return as reliable utility forwards. Mikkola and Reinke spell each other on the bottom defensive pairing, and Hutton returns as the #2 behind Allen.
This team's ultimate success depends entirely on Allen, but having this much firepower will ensure that Allen won't have to be perfect to keep the team in contention.
Yes, this is very nearly identical to several previous rosters I've posted. But I wanted to hammer out these deals more carefully, put a little more thought into the salaries, and work out some kinks. I'm sure it's not perfect. Poke all the holes you want, I appreciate constructive criticism. I also don't think it's realistic to expect this many moves out of Doug Armstrong. He can be aggressive, but he has proven to be very slow and methodical in making deals, and this much turnover would be very uncharacteristic of him. But--that's why I'm the armchair GM of this team. 4
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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