After much speculation, it appears that Kevin Shattenkirk is going to remain a Blue for some time.
The highly sought after St. Louis Blues' defenseman was said to be on the trade market as he heads into the final year of his contract. Indications showed he was likely trade bait, as GM Doug Armstrong conveniently left Shattenkirk's name of a list of the Blues' core players during an interview.
Shattenkirk even stated that if he was going to be traded, he hoped the club made the move "sooner than later" as rumors swirled around the NHL draft.
However, Armstrong is now indicating that he expects Shattenkirk to remain with the Blues for the start of the 2016-17 NHL season.
"That sort of grew a life of its own at the draft," Armstrong told ESPN's Craig Custance of ESPN (subscription only) of the trade talk. "He's a Blue and we're excited to have him and expect him to have a good year."
Armstrong further clarified he means a good year in St. Louis.
The 27-year old is entering the final year of his deal and will come with a cap hit of $4.25 million, while making $5.2 million in real salary next season. The stay-at-home defenseman has averaged 0.63 points per game over the past three seasons, and will be a hot commodity should he be allowed to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
So while it is likely he begins the season as a Blue, expect the team to try to maximize his remaining value via trade at some point during the season.
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