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A quiet day produces more questions than answers for Blues

July 28, 2021, 8:20 PM ET [8 Comments]
John Gove
Boston Bruins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The first day of free agency was anything but a frenzy for the St. Louis Blues. Aside from locking up recently acquired winger Pavel Buchnevich for four years yesterday, Doug Armstrong has yet to acquire any more assets to rejuvenate his hockey club and put them back into contention.

Now "Free Agent Frenzy" is a complicated beast. Typically, organizations find themselves overpaying players simply due to high demand throughout the league. Apparently, Armstrong did not want to fall into that trap, electing to hold tight and let the madness pass him by.

Obviously, the decision to hold tight and wait for the "right" opportunities has left the franchise with far more questions than answers.

As of right now, the Blues have lost more than they have gained, while some decisions regarding players remain in limbo. Jaden Schwartz, Mike Hoffman, Sammy Blais, Vince Dunn, and Carl Gunnarsson are all gone. Vladimir Tarasenko and Tyler Bozak remain huge unknowns. Yes, Buchnevich is a great acquisition. However, just this addition does not fill the holes left by those who have departed.

It truly is a mystery as to what Armstrong has up his sleeve. Re-signing Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas will assist in creating a clearer picture of what this team may look like heading into the Fall. Still, it does not help in the "retool" part of St. Louis's apparent offseason plan.

With most of the key free agents off the board, one has to imagine that the Blues will shift their focus to the trade market. Brandon Saad is still available as of writing this, which could be an intriguing option for Armstrong. Still, I think Armstrong explores more trade options.

First, he really needs to figure out what to do with Tarasenko. Yes, Armstrong made it clear that there is a chance the former face of the franchise remains with the club, but I still find that hard to believe. Once St. Louis knows what the return for Tarasenko is, they will have a better idea of what else must happen this offseason.

Regardless, they cannot waste any more time. Patience has its benefits but not when all of the options have disappeared. If Armstrong is truly going to have a better team on the ice next season, he needs to get to work quickly.
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