Chychrun / Dauphin Trade: 4 Months Later
Aug 20, 2016 23:59:26 GMT -5
Beans (BOS), bjernagris (PHI), and 1 more like this
Post by Pulse on Aug 20, 2016 23:59:26 GMT -5
11/12/2017: St Louis is 5-9-2 and near the bottom of the Western Conference. Following a OT loss to the NY Islanders, 4th game straight without a win, panic sets in and fans start getting restless. What was once a dominant, feared team now seems to be looking at how to secure a playoff spot. Suddenly....an announcement is made late in the night:
To Buffalo Sabres
Jakob Chychrun (LD)
To St. Louis Blues
Laurent Dauphin (C)
Simon Stransky (LW)
PHI 2018 1st
STL sports talk radio goes crazy. Fans were furious and the general consensus from NHL insiders was that the move screamed desperation and would come back to haunt the team. 4 months later, and the trade can be seen as the turning point in a fantastic season.
Since that trade, the Blues are 46-9-3, and despite only one guy being added to the lineup, the entire team seems to have turned things around. The biggest impact the trade had was to move David Backes to the 3rd line, as the aging veteran just can't seem to handle the minutes he once could. Since then the Blues 3rd line has done a fantastic job of adding secondary scoring, including several real clutch goals during the season.
With 8 games left, St Louis finds itself only 2 games behind the current cup holder and Presidents trophy favorites, the Ottawa Senators. The addition of Laurent Dauphin has been a big part of that. In 53 games with the Blues, Dauphin has scored 21 times including 7 game winners. Dauphin has split time as C1 with Ivan Barbashev, and the combination really looks promising for Blues hockey in the future, considering both players are only 22 years old. One has to wonder though, whether or not the team could have turned things around without the addition of Dauphin.
Speaking of additions to the team, Carey Price has once again shown that he is one of the best Goalies in the NHL, and a recent extension virtually guarantees he will anchor the Blues goal for the foreseeable future, ending over a decade of Goalie drama in St Louis.
With everything looking up for the current Blues, things look even better on the farm. If he signs, German Rubtosov may end up being one of the best two way centers in the NHL, and St. Louis hold 6 of the first 100 picks in the next draft, including 3 1st round picks, one a lottery. A young core, prospects on the cusp, a bundle of picks, and one of the best G in the NHL signed to a long term deal, makes it difficult to bet against St Louis. This is especially true after seeing how the young core of the team responded to adversity early on this season.
As far as whether or not this trade will come back to haunt the Blues, it is too early to tell. Chychrun is developing fantastically this season in the OHL and has been absolutely dominant on the Powerplay, whether he can continue to play at this level in the NHL remains to be seen, although the smart money would be on Jakob competing for the Norris trophey within 3 years. Stransky and whomever the Blues manage to pickup with the PHL 1st still have quite a bit more to prove, so it will likely be years before a real decision can be made. For the current season though, this trade may end up being the spark that continued a dynasty.
To Buffalo Sabres
Jakob Chychrun (LD)
To St. Louis Blues
Laurent Dauphin (C)
Simon Stransky (LW)
PHI 2018 1st
STL sports talk radio goes crazy. Fans were furious and the general consensus from NHL insiders was that the move screamed desperation and would come back to haunt the team. 4 months later, and the trade can be seen as the turning point in a fantastic season.
Since that trade, the Blues are 46-9-3, and despite only one guy being added to the lineup, the entire team seems to have turned things around. The biggest impact the trade had was to move David Backes to the 3rd line, as the aging veteran just can't seem to handle the minutes he once could. Since then the Blues 3rd line has done a fantastic job of adding secondary scoring, including several real clutch goals during the season.
With 8 games left, St Louis finds itself only 2 games behind the current cup holder and Presidents trophy favorites, the Ottawa Senators. The addition of Laurent Dauphin has been a big part of that. In 53 games with the Blues, Dauphin has scored 21 times including 7 game winners. Dauphin has split time as C1 with Ivan Barbashev, and the combination really looks promising for Blues hockey in the future, considering both players are only 22 years old. One has to wonder though, whether or not the team could have turned things around without the addition of Dauphin.
Speaking of additions to the team, Carey Price has once again shown that he is one of the best Goalies in the NHL, and a recent extension virtually guarantees he will anchor the Blues goal for the foreseeable future, ending over a decade of Goalie drama in St Louis.
With everything looking up for the current Blues, things look even better on the farm. If he signs, German Rubtosov may end up being one of the best two way centers in the NHL, and St. Louis hold 6 of the first 100 picks in the next draft, including 3 1st round picks, one a lottery. A young core, prospects on the cusp, a bundle of picks, and one of the best G in the NHL signed to a long term deal, makes it difficult to bet against St Louis. This is especially true after seeing how the young core of the team responded to adversity early on this season.
As far as whether or not this trade will come back to haunt the Blues, it is too early to tell. Chychrun is developing fantastically this season in the OHL and has been absolutely dominant on the Powerplay, whether he can continue to play at this level in the NHL remains to be seen, although the smart money would be on Jakob competing for the Norris trophey within 3 years. Stransky and whomever the Blues manage to pickup with the PHL 1st still have quite a bit more to prove, so it will likely be years before a real decision can be made. For the current season though, this trade may end up being the spark that continued a dynasty.