A decisive 5-2 victory over the fourth place Phoenix Coyotes Tuesday night almost guarantees the Blues are not sellers at tomorrow’s Trade Deadline. Briefly, I want to mention the game.

Payne Hockey

The Blues came out with a hard fore check and good puck movement. Nice strong passes from players like Berglund to open players in the slot. I anticipate this is how the rest of the season will be. I think tonight’s game against Phoenix was the true beginning of the Davis Payne style in St. Louis. Before no, Payne had one or two day breaks at most to implement his style to players. Not a significant amount of time. I think the style the Blues played tonight will be the template for the rest of the season. Puck possession and fore check.

Deadline Talk

Now I’ll turn my attention to tomorrow. The Trade Deadline tomorrow is at 3 pm EST, which is 2 pm here in the CST. You can catch my live analysis, along with other bloggers, on The Reed Review’s live blog, which I’m sure you can find on the home page. The Blues almost certainly are not sellers at this point. I don’t think we’ll see a return with a lot of prospects or draft picks. At the same time, I don’t think they’re buyers either. There won’t be a push for big name players on rental contracts.

Paul Kariya

So what names maybe on the move from St. Louis? Paul Kariya is the first big name that may be available from the Blues end. According to Sportsnet’s Kyper, Kariya has declined to waive his no movement clause, handcuffing the Blues. If Kariya will sign the papers, I’d give the chances of him moving as “high.” To say I’m disappointed Kariya won’t sign the papers would be an understatement, but we’ll move on. Not like he’s mattered much this season anyway. If Kariya does move, look for him to go to Vancouver or Phoenix: teams looking for some forward help.

Keith Tkachuk

Another player who may waive his No Trade Clause is Keith Tkachuk. I find this move much more likely. Big Walt has been open to helping the Blues several times in his career, and the reports are he waived it last year to be traded to Boston, but at the last second the trade was called off on Boston’s side. I’d again look for Tkachuk to go to Boston, and another rumor has him landing in Washington.

Defense/ Carlo Colaiacovo

I’d imagine the Blues would be open to dealing a defenseman, and Carlo Colaiacovo’s name has come up several times. I like Colaiacovo’s style, but his stay may not be much longer here, as the Blues have plenty of defensive depth and prospects, essentially pushing out Colaiacovo. If Colaiacovo is moved, I’d imagine he’d go east to a team that need help moving the puck on the bottom pairings. This leaves almost all teams open, but I’ll go out on a limb and say possibly Washington or Ottawa.

Brad Boyes

Brad Boyes has reportedly been put on the block. The Blues will certainly listen to offers for Boyes, but I highly doubt he’s actually on the move. For starters, he’s the only true sniper the Blues have, and this team is starved for actual goal scorers. I don’t expect him to move unless he’s packaged with another player for a return that benefits the long term. I think putting Boyes on the trading block is more a wake-up move for the right wing, rather than a serious desire to move him.

Cory Schneider

I do have a feeling the Blues acquire a prospect goaltender. Cory Schneider’s name has been thrown around way too much for it not to happen. Granted, that trade was supposedly hinging on Kariya waiving his NMC, so we’ll see if anything comes from it.

Not Goin' Anywhere

Just for the record, I'm saying the following names aren't going anywhere for anything: Erik Johnson, David Perron, T.J. Oshie, Lars Eller, David Backes, Alex Pietrangelo

Red, White, Blue and Silver

As a final note, congratulations to David Backes and Erik Johnson on Olympic Silver. Both players were instrumental parts in the team’s success, and I think the experience from this tournament has developed the players confidence tremendously. Both players factor into long-term leadership roles on this Blues team.

Written by :

Brendan Kolk