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Salary Cap & Youth Could Force Blues to Make Defensive Changes

Salary Cap & Youth Could Force Blues to Make Defensive Changes

The St. Louis Blues will have some difficult decisions ahead of the NHL’s March 3rd trade deadline. With a limited amount of cap flexibility and a number of their players on the mend eyeing returns in the coming weeks, the teams’ defensemen find themselves in a predicament for not only the remainder of the season but for the coming unrestricted free agents as well. At this time, the Blues have six players on the Injured Reserve list, three of which have been listed on the Long-Term Injured Reserve list since preseason. With the emergence of the organization’s youth taking shape, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and his front office staff may have additional questions that will need answers sooner than later when it comes to re-signing players and who to hold on to and who to trade away.

Tucker Earning Spot with the Blues

Blues prospect defenseman Tyler Tucker was recalled from the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League on Jan. 7 as fellow defenseman Nick Leddy went down due to an injury, ultimately missing four games. Before his most recent recall, he appeared in four games with the club from Nov. 16-21st averaging 13:01 of time on ice and an even plus-minus rating. However, in his most recent six-game stretch, he has not only earned warranted looks due to his defensive style of play but his ability to chip in on the offensive side of the game and willingness to play a physical style of hockey after dropping the gloves with Nashville Predators forward, Sam Carrick.

This season, Tucker is ninth on the Thunderbirds in total points scoring one goal and earning 13 total points in 25 games. With the multitude of veteran defensemen on the Blues squad, it is unlikely that he will have the opportunity to chip in much offensively, but should be provided with plenty of opportunity to showcase his defensive skills if he remains in his coach’s favor.

NHL Salary Cap Making Decisions Difficult For Teams to Make Trades

All season long, the coming cap crunch for the Blues has loomed over like a dark cloud. With the team underperforming for the majority of the season, there has been a constant reminder that the team has two of their top players are not only out with long-term injuries and needing new contracts in the offseason and a surplus of veteran and NHL-ready defensemen waiting in the wings. At this time, the 2023-24 Blues have Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, Marco Scandella, Nick Leddy, and Robert Bortuzzo all under contract,…

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