Fans and media out there trying to figure out where Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin are going to land in the next few days need to take this into consideration.
Think cup contender not playoff contender.
Why would Keith Tkachuk waive his no-trade to go play in Toronto or Montreal?
Same goes for Guerin, who may not have a flat out no-trade, but will still have a major say as to where he ends up.
These guys are not about to leave their families to walk into a stressful situation where the locker room might be full of tension.
I’m well aware of the fact that Edmonton advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals last season and I understand you don’t have to be a top four seed to have a shot at winning it all.
With that being said it is important for a new player to have time to adjust to playing for a new team.
Doug Weight and Mark Recchi walked into a perfect setting last season in Carolina. The team had the best record in the league and General Manager Jim Rutherford and Head Coach Peter Laviolette didn’t put any pressure on these guys after they arrived in Carolina.
Laviolette was upfront with both players from the beginning telling them not to worry about trying to prove they belong by scoring goals and putting up offensive numbers. Weight and Recchi were given time to learn the system and to concentrate on learning how the Hurricanes play hockey.
This is the situation a star player is looking for. When a team is battling just to get in the playoffs there is little time if any to ease into things.
Here are the clubs that Tkachuk and Guerin will likely approve a trade to:
Detroit, San Jose, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Anaheim.
I have a lot of respect for the career Gary Roberts has had but you can’t honestly believe he would be a better addition to a team right now over Tkachuk and Guerin.
I respectfully disagree with Nick Kypreos who recently said Roberts is the best offensive player remaining on the trade market. Kypreos said he doesn’t think the Blues will get better than a third or fourth round pick for Guerin.
If that’s the case, Guerin won’t be leaving St. Louis.
Roberts hasn’t been healthy and scouts are raving about the play of both Tkachuk and Guerin.
Either Blues player will command more in a trade right now than Roberts will.
Guerin would have no issue playing with Chris Chelios in Detroit. Chelios, along with a few others, filed a lawsuit against Guerin and the rest of the NHLPA Executive Committee that represented the players during the 04-05 lockout.
A Judge dismissed the case a number of weeks ago.
A source close to Anaheim tells me that Anaheim will likely wait until the deadline if they do anything. A lot of these trades may be too pricey for Anaheim right now. GM Brian Burke will not over pay for a rental player.
Pittsburgh, Edmonton, Detroit, and the New York Islanders had scouts in St. Louis on Saturday.
The Islanders are still looking to add a player or two and Edmonton is eyeing a defenseman namely Eric Brewer.
The Blues would much rather re-sign Brewer as opposed to trading him. There is no significant progress to report on the Brewer negotiations.
The Blues have had minor discussions with Ed Ratushny who represents Manny Legace. Ratushny sent a clear message to the Blues that Legace really wants to stays in St. Louis. If a deal isn’t agreed upon by the deadline it won’t present a problem when you consider both sides are already on the same page.
Congratulations to Predators General Manager David Poile who had a game plan when the franchise came into the league and he’s stuck with it.
Poile had a long talk with Paul Kariya prior to the morning skate on Friday and told me the players are obviously excited about the acquisition of Peter Forsberg.
For several weeks now Poile had Forsberg targeted as his number one guy.
He first granted a trade request made by Josef Vasicek who wanted out of Nashville. We all know the story by now of how that triggered a deal with Atlanta to open up a spot for Forsberg.
There is a certain level of risk and trust involved in trading for Forsberg and Poile told me he is going on “The Honor System.”
Forsberg sold it to Nashville by telling them he wouldn’t waive his no-trade unless he truly felt he is healthy enough to play through the rest of the regular season and on through the playoffs.
Nashville gave up a ton for Forsberg and Poile did everything he could to hang on to Ryan Parent who he believes will play at least 15 years in the NHL.
The only concern, if there is one for Poile, outside of a Forsberg injury is that the trade doesn’t disrupt the strong chemistry the Predators already have in place.
Any Time Now!
The people who have been trying to bring the NHL to Kansas City are hoping to hear by April 1st whether or not Pittsburgh is heading west.
If the Penguins stay in Pittsburgh, you can expect to hear talk heating up of either the Florida Panthers or the Nashville Predators moving to K.C. prior to the 08-09 season.
Hull Needs More Time!
Brett Hull is frustrated with not having enough time to breakdown the NHL on NBC. He says they want him to be Charles Barkley but admits it ‘s pretty difficult when you are only given a four-minute and a couple of two-minute segments. Hull said a pre and a post-game show is crucial to providing real analysis.
This sounds familiar doesn’t it? We’ve been saying this for months!
Give Thanks!!
If you didn’t already know, the hardest working people in the NHL are the equipment staff and the trainers.
Take the Blues recent trip to Columbus for example.
Due to snowy weather the Blues charter didn’t take off after the game Tuesday night until 11:45, which was already 12:45 eastern.
The plane did not land in Columbus until after 2:00 in the morning, and the snow was coming down pretty hard in Ohio. The staff had issues getting the equipment off the plane because the belt loader kept getting stuck.
The roads were bad, and a normal ten-minute drive from the airport to the rink took nearly a half hour.
It took the staff a couple of hours to carry the equipment inside the rink and to hang up the gear. By the time they made it back to the hotel it was almost 4:00 am. After a 7:30 wakeup call they were back at the rink by 8:00 to prepare for the game that night against the Blue Jackets.
The team didn’t get a whole lot of sleep either; word is Doug Weight got one full hour of rest that night.
Following the game the team flew back to St. Louis. The staff had to once again take all the equipment down to the Scottrade Center. Eventually, around 2:00 am they were finished and went home, only to arrive back at the rink early the next morning.
These guys rarely get enough sleep and should be appreciated by the players, Coaches, and management team. When you see these guys, you might want to tell them thank you!
Blues Clues!
Dan Hinote will soon have his torn rotator cuff operated on in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the fourth time Hinote has had a shoulder operation in his career. His last surgery was done during the lockout.
Jay Mckee could return to the lineup in time to play in Chicago on February 25th.
D.J. King continues to throw bombs as he introduces himself to the NHL. He spends his summers in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where he spars with other pro hockey players as part of his off-season conditioning. They fight two-minute rounds and King says the cardio is incredible.
If King squares off with the 6’7 Derek Boogard again on Sunday it won’t be the tallest opponent he has ever fought. He once fought a 6’9 player in the AHL who plays in Houston.
Radek Dvorak is entertaining his parents Maria and Jaroslav who are visiting St. Louis from his native Czech Republic. They are here for two weeks and usually come into town once every season.
Is Bryce Salvador the most underrated player on the Blues? Head Coach Andy Murray recently pulled him aside to tell him what an outstanding job he is doing.
Andy Murray is harder on rookie David Backes than any other player. Murray says it’s because Backes has the least credibility and because everyone keeps telling him how great he is. Murray wants to keep him level headed. Backes is not a cocky guy in the first place, so that won’t be a big issue with him.
Murray says Backes was awful Tuesday against San Jose and wasn’t afraid to let him know about it. Backes responded by scoring two goals the following night including the game winner. It is understandable why Murray is so hard on Backes when you consider he is Murray’s first player he called up from Peoria and the first player he is trying to develop into an NHL player. There is a certain bond and level of trust between the two of them.
Former Blues Head Coach Mike Kitchen will provide analysis during the Hockey Night In Canada telecast this Saturday night.
Prospect watch!
Carl Soderberg continues to heal from a serious eye injury and is expected to make a full recovery.
Magnus Kahnberg is struggling in the Swedish Elite League.
The club will expect Patrik Berglund to add some strength during the upcoming off-season. It is tough to add strength during the season.
T.J. Oshie could be playing in Peoria after his season at the University of North Dakota is completed.
Tomas Kana was going to come over and join the Owen Sound attack of the OHL this season but his pro team in the Czech Republic refused to let him come over. His club thought they had a chance to make the playoffs and wanted Kana to stay. He would have needed to come over by the February 8th deadline.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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