Quoting: tetrablues33
Okay fair enough, you're not a fan of Kessel
he was more so a throw in, no issues removing him and leaving cap space open. Acciari could slot in the 3L RW position and Leivo or another callup could play 4th line mins.
As for the trades, which ones specifically do you take issue with, and how would you fix them? Or, would you completely forego either of them?
The Blues probably do not have a strong enough defense still to make a run, hence why I targeted Chychrun, but perhaps there's another more reasonably priced player that would be more suitable?
First, let's talk defense.... (exasperated sigh)... frankly, Army screwed us big time by giving Leddy that regrettable 4x4 NTC contract. That ruined everything we could have done better and cheaper and smarter, and it probably is going to ruin it for 2-3 seasons. I always wanted a nice simple LD who fit great over an expensive so-so fit - Soucy, Sandin, etc. Or even a slightly more expensive one that would be friggin' amazing - like Gavrikov or maybe even Sanheim. I don't think we need to splurge crazy in assets for Chych, even if he's pretty reasonable on his contract. And I know Arizona is not going to accept that quantity over quality offer. The Calgary trade is actually sneakily not terrible for total value (the Flames only take back about 5M in instant cap and those two players are decent bets to offer nice value on their salaries), but again it's veering into quantity over quality.
As for making a run, if they add Tkachuk without getting rooked, they won't need elite defense to be a contender. That said, people always overplay how bad the Blues defense is. Teams pile up a good amount of xG from taking long or perimeter shots, which get taken because the Blues defense is, flub incidents aside, pretty good at keeping teams wide. The other thing is, an overwhelming majority of Blues goal leaks come directly as a result of a bad giveaway. Now, some of those are by the defenseman, but a larger number are not. When the team breaks down, there's a fair chance the primary blame falls on a forward. Besides, analytics don't do individual stats and don't factor in how many plays get shut down. The Blues defensemen generally do shut down a lot of hairy stuff (even on nights when one big mistake spoils it all), especially now that they're morphing into an equal rush/forecheck hybrid team. Is the Blues D elite? Of course not. But they are above average. Too many people out here pretending they're bottom of the barrel or something, Blues fans included.