Doug Armstrong's St. Louis Blues have more NHL bodies than jobs, and they're reportedly telling the rest of the league they're open for business.
Elliotte Friedman laid it out on 32 Thoughts on Monday. The Blues have "a bunch of NHL guys who are kind of in the bottom six," and not all of them will stick.
The pitch to other GMs is blunt. "If you want some NHL depth... we have extras," Friedman said of the message coming out of St. Louis.
Which names are on the table? Friedman didn't say, and that's where it gets interesting for a camp still sorting itself out.
The on-ice results haven't settled much. St. Louis is 0-2 this preseason after Monday's 2-1 loss in Dallas.
That game offered a snapshot of the crowd up front. Oskar Sundqvist played 12:03, while Nathan Walker skated 11:49.
Jim Montgomery's bottom six has more bodies than jobs
Dylan Peterson logged 12:21 and took five penalty minutes. Dillon Dube played 14:09 and went minus-1.
-
Further up the lineup, Robert Thomas led the forwards at 22:10. Jimmy Snuggerud added four shots on goal.
Jonatan Berggren scored the lone goal, and Mason McTavish chipped in three shots in 14:48.
Armstrong is making the right call. A surplus in September turns into a waiver-wire giveaway in October if you wait too long.
It's a moving sale before the truck shows up. Everything's priced to go, and the longer it sits on the lawn, the less anyone pays.
There's a catch, of course. Rival teams know the Blues have to make room, and nobody overpays a seller in a hurry.
Jim Montgomery still has to build a lineup out of whoever's left. The Blues host Chicago on Thursday.
The regular season opens October 2 in Dallas, against the same Stars team that beat them Monday.
Every day without a deal pushes the Blues closer to cuts. And the Canucks, holding first waiver priority, will be watching every name St. Louis lets go.
Should the Blues trade their extra depth now instead of risking it on waivers?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Former Sportsnet panelist lands new job after unexpected departure
