The NHL season has flown by and here we are fast approaching the month of February which means one thing. The trade deadline is officially looming.

This is the time of year NHL GM’s work the phones 24/7 even if they aren’t looking to make a deal. Often you’ll find GM’s phoning other managers simply for the sake of making a call. A smart, experienced GM will quickly identify who the real players are and eliminate the phonies.

In St. Louis the Blues certainly have a couple of chips in D-man Eric Brewer and experienced backup goaltender Ty Conklin who are playing out the final year of their contracts. Conklin could add some insurance to a goaltending tandem while Brewer is playing his best hockey since coming to the Blues back in 2005. He’s already made an impression offensively as his eight goals have tied a career best. Defensively he’s been more than solid playing with multiple partners. Getting his repaired back in condition has allowed him to find his legs and utilize his lower body to its full potential. With this being said he still isn’t 100%

What kind of value Brewer or Conklin could bring in return is always difficult to say.

Sources confirm the Blues have had zero conversations with Brewer regarding his contract status. There has been no talks and therefore no indication given to the Blues captain as to what the team would like to do moving forward. I’m sure that will happen in the weeks ahead. This is a non-issue with the Blues Captain whose focus appears to be on helping the St. Louis Blues win hockey games.

The options are obvious. They can trade him, re-sign him, or let him walk after the season.

Trading him might be easier said than done. Brewer does have a no-trade clause and as I’ve recently reported is expecting a baby in the next several weeks. There’s always the possibility of Brewer declining an opportunity to play elsewhere.

Who knows if the Blues even want to move him? After all he’s arguably been the team’s most consistent D-man since day one of the season. You can probably count on one hand how many bad games Brewer has had this season. A lot of this has to do with his health as he’s undergone a shoulder operation and two back surgeries since coming over from Edmonton. People would be surprised to learn what length this guy has to go through to make sure he can perform in an NHL game and for that I give him full marks. 

 He’s been a good presence in the dressing room and has found a way to deflect the outside criticism he’s received since landing in the Lou. Brewer has been as big of a target with the fans as I’ve ever seen in my years of covering this team.  It’s refreshing to see this guy finally start to receive the recognition he’s deserving of. He’s a pro’s pro who sets a great example for the young D-men coming up in the organization.

Speaking of young D-men, with the emergence of Erik Johnson, Alex Pietrangelo, Roman Polak, Ian Cole, and potentially Nikita Nikitin, where does this leave Brewer moving forward?

Do you need both Brewer and Barret Jackman moving beyond this season? That’s a question Doug Armstrong will need to answer. Jackman is under contract through the end of next season.

When managing your assets, too often people focus solely on the return value, whether it’s draft pick or roster players. Things have changed with the new system and even if the Blues were to allow Brewer to walk this summer they’d still be getting some important cap/budget relief. That in itself, in my opinion, is an asset.  It may not make the fans all that happy but it would allow the organization to spend the money elsewhere. It may not appear to be the best scenario but you have to think this way.

This is of course assuming the Blues have no intention of bringing him back and trading him prior to the deadline. The team is still is position to make a playoff push and may choose to hold on to a player like an Eric Brewer.
Having extra cap space is not of huge importance to the Blues who we all know are not a cap team. They are a budget team however and any extra money available certainly helps. Anybody who follows the Blues is well aware that there is no clear understanding of what the economic parameters are when it comes to the Blues payroll.

The Blues aren’t the only team in this situation as there are about a dozen other franchises, if not more, in the same position. Much of this has to do with the way teams are financed as it has definitely changed compared to how it used to be. Many of the lenders who used to finance professional sports franchises have been eliminated. The increasing number of teams seeking financing has something to do with this. It goes without saying that investing in NHL hockey is a risky venture.

In the meantime several franchises, including the St. Louis Blues, are looking for that white Knight investor to rescue the franchise. Finding these investors is much easier said than done.

The team has already extended David Backes whose four year extension kicks in next year. Spending to the cap won’t guarantee you anything but as one member of Blues management put it several weeks ago…It certainly helps”.

It will be interesting to watch how the Brewer situation unfolds.

More to come,
Andy Strickland
strickland.andy@gmail.com