3 St. Louis Blues Named Trade Candidates This Season

The St. Louis Blues are second last in the NHL and it isn't going to be easy to turn things around. The team can't go into a full rebuild, but there are certainly pieces that can be sold off to retool. This is a team that has been stuck in the middle for the past number of years and needs to move off some of their veterans to make room for the youth.

Jeff Marek said, "I wonder at which point we start to say, I wonder where Brayden Schenn, Jordan Binnington, and Justin Faulk are going to end up come trade deadline time."

These are three veterans who should bring in some nice returns, even Binnington as the goalie market is very weak and there are teams looking for upgrades. Schenn is 34 years old and has two more years left on his deal at $6.5 million AAV. He isn't necessarily worth that money and he has a 15-team no-trade list. He has two goals and six points in 16 games, is the worst +/- on the team at -12, and is averaging around 17 minutes per game of ice time.

Binnington is 32 years old and has one more year left on his contract at $6 million AAV. He hasn't lived up to his contract since signing it, even though he was a huge reason the team won the Stanley Cup in his first season before signing. He is 3-5-3 with a 3.34 GAA and .859 SV% on the season, which is by far the worst if his career. Joel Hofer, even though he is playing better, isn't better, which can be associated with a struggling team. Hofer is also Binnington's imminent replacement as the number one in St. Louis. Binnington might be worth the contract for some teams, but if he plays badly, it will look like a bad deal.

Faulk should have a similar value to Schenn, even though centers are harder to come by. Faulk has been playing well again this season and is a right-shot defenseman, the kind of defenseman more in demand. The 33-year-old is averaging 23.5 minutes per game, playing on the power play and penalty kill, has three goals and eight points in 16 games, and is generally playing well at both ends of the ice. He has one more year left on his deal at $6.5 million AAV. He has been underrated for the majority of his career.

The Blues could get some solid returns and instantly replace the spots in their lineup with other talent. It is a matter of how much of the contracts the Blues are willing to retain and how much teams and willing to spend when the cap goes up next season.