The St. Louis Blues were dealing with quite the conundrum at the 2025 trade deadline. Yeah, they could’ve bought and done all they could to win one of the two wild card spots. But was it worth sacrificing future assets for?
Yeah, their silence at the deadline may rub some fans the wrong way, but it shouldn’t. In fact, part of me supports general manager Doug Armstrong for taking the idle approach here. If the Blues were one or two players away from contending for the top three, it would be one thing, but that wasn’t the case.
Instead, they’re about a player or two away from locking up a wild card spot. And as a team still in retooling mode, it’s a huge difference. The Blues don’t need to add a couple players to break a small playoff drought just to impress a few fans. It would have been irresponsible and short-sighted.
St. Louis Blues were smart to stay idle at the trade deadline
Doug Armstrong has now made it clear to the fanbase that his Blues are playing the long game, and that should be a refresher. And if we’re being real here, it’s not like the Blues can’t win that second or even the first wild card spot with the team they got.
As I write this, they’re heading into Saturday’s slate of games with 68 points, and a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 games. Yeah, they’re getting hot, but as a club that’s still retooling, we have to commend Doug Armstrong for sticking to his plan and making no rash moves on deadline day.
Instead, he stood pat, not moving any veterans since, well, when you’re in contention, it’s something you just don’t do. Even as a team in retooling mode. You can wait until the summer to move those vets should things not work out in the Blues favor.
The Blues are on pace to be one good hockey team in time
With the way this team has evolved since it hired Jim Montgomery, just think how good they’ll be when the likes of Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky are in Arch City. This team will be very, very tough to beat starting as early as next season if they aren’t already a headache for opponents.
That said, without sacrificing the future, a wild card spot is still well on the table, and for me, it would mean the Blues are well ahead of schedule. Just as any Doug Armstrong-led organization would be. Even if they miss the playoffs by a small margin, consider it a win this season. The Blues are a younger team and one that wasn’t supposed to be in contention following the trade deadline.
Plus, there may also be a few free agents Armstrong can sign to the big club without giving up any assets. So, even if the Blues didn’t maximize their playoff chances with any moves at the deadline, they certainly didn’t hurt them, either.
By playing the long game, Armstrong is guaranteeing fans that the prospects pool will get stocked AND the big club will be built to make a strong run.
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