The Winnipeg Jets have acquired veteran center Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues in a rare deal between divisional rivals, the teams announced Monday. St. Louis, which is retaining half of Stastny’s $7 million cap hit, receives prospect Erik Foley, a conditional 2018 first-round pick, and a conditional 2020 fourth-round pick in the trade.
Stastny needed to waive his no-movement clause in order to finalize the deal, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It’s not often you see guys wanting to play in Winnipeg, but the opportunity at a Stanley Cup can be a strong selling point.
The Jets had reportedly been searching for help up the middle with many different teams over the past few weeks. There were rumors of interest in forwards such as Ryan Hartman and Tomas Plekanec, but instead Winnipeg made a more surprising move by prying Stastny from St. Louis.
The Blues remain in the playoff hunt in the Central Division, so it’s a bit surprising that they’d be willing to deal such an important player. However, the team has lost six straight games and Stastny is an upcoming unrestricted free agent. This was a chance to sell high on a piece that probably wasn’t going to be part of next season anyway.
It’s hard not to see the trade as St. Louis waving the white flag on this season, though. The team is only one point out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference, but trading a top-six center for picks and prospects is a clear sign that its turning its attention toward the future.
Doug Armstrong isn’t messing around.
Paul Stastny, signed to a four year deal back in 2014 to anchor big time minutes for the St. Louis Blues, has been traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a first round pick in the 2018 draft, a conditional fourth round draft pick, and prospect Erik Foley.
Instant reaction: this is a very good deal by Armstrong and the Blues.
Stastny was going to be a free agent in three months and more than likely, wasn’t returning to St. Louis. This was taking an expiring stock (Stastny turned 32 in December), and flipping it for more than it’s worth.
If the Blues sign Foley, the team ends up with three young players for a guy they probably weren’t bringing back. Stastny could go to Winnipeg and flourish, find a second speed, and maybe hoist a Cup (vomit), or he could do okay, and sign a new deal this summer with the Los Angeles Kings.
I do believe that Blues fans will underappreciate Stastny for his service in St. Louis. He is like the Matt Holliday of the Blues, a player who came here after more robust seasons elsewhere, and performed well without blowing anyone out of the water.
When he stepped on the ice in Blue late in 2014, Stastny was coming off a 25 goal/60 point season with Colorado, but he was beginning to trend downward. He never was able to get back to that level of being a 60-70 point producer.
The infiltration of the “STL” line didn’t help Stastny’s chances. Something else happened in late 2014, and it’s name is Jori Lehtera. He paired up with Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz to create a wonder on the ice that lasted three months before fizzling out due to Lehtera’s glacier like ice speed. Stastny spent more time with Patrik Berglund and Dmitrj Jaskin over the next two years than Tarasenko and Schwartz.
The best we ever got with Stastny was his time with Robby Fabbri and Troy Brouwer. Those three were dynamite two years ago in the late season stretch and playoff run. Slinky legged Fabbri and the net hugging Brouwer were a perfect foil for Stastny playmaking talents.
Stastny’s highest point total in St. Louis was in 2015-16, where he scored only 10 goals (only put 103 shots on goal), but added 39 assists. He scored 16, 10, 18, and 12 goals in St. Louis, and didn’t make a huge dent on the power play.
In the end, Armstrong brought in a hometown kid who gave a few solid if uneventful seasons, and flipped him for a solid return before his contract expired.
Let’s put it this way: this is a better return than Armstrong got for Kevin Shattenkirk.
Oh, and about that prospect, Foley (out of Providence), here’s a bit from Buccigross:
Hey @StLouisBlues fans, you got Erik Foley (of Providence College) in that @PaulyWalnuts26 trade with @NHLJets. He’s a Bull in a China shop. Takes it to net and can't be stopped. Can score from outside tops of circles with release. Great hands. pic.twitter.com/ONR8CXfWxU — Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) February 26, 2018
All things considered, Armstrong made a good first push. With his team in disarray, the GM shook the house a little. Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund, and Carl Gunnarsson could be next. At least I’m hoping this is only the start.
Is this swap the preface of a bigger addition to the Blues this afternoon? I’m not sure. There have been premature rumblings of an Evander Kane/Mike Hoffman trade out there, but I don’t see the Blues going in that direction. Either player could work salary cap wise with the loss of Stastny, but I wouldn’t wish that hard.
What will probably take place next is a move that sends Sobotka out with a return in the form of a third or fourth round prospect due to the money remaining on the journeryman’s new contract.
Armstrong gave bad deals to Berglund, Sobotka, Alex Steen, Jay Bouwmeester, and even Jake Allen. If he can clean that mess up one trade at a time, that would be nice.
I don’t think the Stastny contract was bad. He was signed in his late 20’s to be a core player and was flipped before he could become a true piece of dead weight.
The inner division trade action may be surprising, but the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks pulled off a trade today already, so it’s a thing now. Seeing the return that the New York Rangers got for declining forward Rick Nash tells you all that you need to know about Stastny bringing in a first round pick.
Good work, Doug.
Now get back to the desk.
Paul Stastny joins "TradeCentre" to discuss being traded from the Blues to the Winnipeg Jets. (1:47)
The Winnipeg Jets signaled they are making a run for the Stanley Cup by trading a 2018 first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues for center Paul Stastny.
The Blues also get a fourth-round pick in 2020 and forward prospect Erik Foley. According to reports, St. Louis retains half of Stastny's salary this season.
Editor's Picks Trade grades: Stastny deal a big win for Jets The Jets grabbed a top-six center in exchange for a pair of picks and prospect Erik Foley. Here's how we see the deal shaking out for both sides.
NHL trade deadline: Trade grades for every big deal Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski grade every major deal leading up to the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 26.
NHL trade deadline: The trades, the grades and what's next The 2018 NHL trade deadline has come and gone, but the trade details are still trickling in. Our team of reporters are keeping track of all the deals and the latest talk between teams. 2 Related
Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said that the team was very happy to get a veteran center.
"They're just so hard to find," he said.
Maurice added: "(He's) a player that fits our game and how we want to play."
Stastny, who carries a cap hit of $7 million, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Blues explored re-signing the 32-year-old, but the sides didn't reach agreement.
Winnipeg is second in the Central Division with 83 points, while St. Louis has slid to being one point out of the second wild card.
Stastny has 12 goals and 28 assists this year after going for 18 and 22 last year. The son of Hockey Hall of Famer Peter Stastny adds center depth behind Mark Scheifele and is solid at the faceoff dot.
"What he brings to the team is something that's going to be very helpful to us. Can play a lot of roles," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. "Awesome faceoff guy. Great guy in the locker room,"
The Winnipeg Jets fancy themselves a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and they pulled of a move Monday that sent a message to the rest of the Western Conference.
Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff acquired forward Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional 2018 first-round pick, a conditional fourth-rounder in 2020, plus forward prospect Erik Foley.
Stastny has 12 goals, 28 assists and 14 penalty minutes in 63 games this season. The 32-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent with a cap hit of $7 million, although the Blues will retain 50 per cent of his salary, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Blues beat reporter Jeremy Rutherford has the details on the conditions involved with the draft picks that were part of the deal.
The move gives the Jets significant depth at centre if the team indeed decides to play him down the middle behind Mark Scheifele and Bryan Little.
Blues forward Brayden Schenn did not sound too happy about the deal when asked for his reaction.
“Crazy,” Schenn said. “One or two points out [of a playoff spot], move a guy that does a lot for us. But at the end of the day, you know, that’s [management’s] decision. I guess we’ll see what happens.”
It’s unclear where exactly Stastny will fit in the Jets lineup but he should have a strong rapport with Jets captain Blake Wheeler. The two forwards have known one another since their teenage years and have both represented Team USA together at international tournaments. They also spent the 2012 lockout as teammates with Munich EHC in the German league.
Stastny has 216 goals, 417 assists and 380 penalty minutes in 805 career regular-season games split between the Blues and Colorado Avalanche.
Foley was a third-round selection (78th overall) of the Jets in 2015 and has yet to play an NHL game. The 20-year-old winger has 15 goals, 19 assists and 14 penalty minutes in 32 games with Providence College this season. The Mansfield, Mass., native was teammates with Blues forward Tage Thompson when the two won a gold medal with the United States at the 2017 world juniors.
