First rounder will end up on the trade block or waivers!

There seems to be a lot of things that are not going according to plans for the St. Louis Blues since last season. First of, many people believe the team would still push for a playoff berth close to the trade deadline, however, they shock everyone by moving star forward Paul Stastny and finishing the season a point away from the last wild card spot in the Western Conference, behind the Colorado Avalanche. Yeah... the Avalanche.

The Blues managed some impressive moves this summer, adding Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak to the roster, and might get another lucky break ahead of the season opener. While the eventual return of defenseman Carl Gunnarsson from hip and knee surgery means good news for the club, it appears to be bad news for another player on the roster. 

According to Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic, the return of Gunnarson could turn first rounder Jordan Schmaltz into their eighth blue liner. While the Blues could choose to keep eight defenders on board, Rutherford believes they could instead try to sneak Schmaltz through waivers or trade him.

“Schmaltz is another player who would require waivers to be reassigned to the AHL this season. If Gunnarsson is ready, Schmaltz would be the Blues’ eighth defensemen, so they’d likely have to try to sneak him through waivers or trade him. Or they could keep eight defensemen, limiting themselves to 13 forwards on the 23-man maximum roster, by re-assigning/waiving Sundqvist or Thorburn,” writes Rutherford. 

“I’ve just kind of got to block that out, play whatever minutes I’m given, and we’ll see how it shakes out,” Schmaltz said. “If I get sent down, I have to clear. We’ll worry about that at a later date.”

Schmaltz has been a member of the Blues’ franchise since he was drafted in the first round in 2012. But now, six years later, he remains the team’s last unsigned restricted free agent as the 2018-19 season quickly approaches. His entry level contract ended after last season, which was cut short due to injuries. The Blues might have to pull the trigger and make a significant move.

You might have to, Schmaltz…