Rumor: A new team enters the Turris Sweepstakes

The trade chatter won’t die down surrounding Ottawa Senators center Kyle Turris. The pending unrestricted free-agent is reportedly on the way out in Ottawa as a result of his high contract demands. Sportsnet analyst and NHL insider Nick Kypreos reported yesterday that he expects Turris to be dealt at some point this season:

“Everybody, for the most part, agrees that the marketplace for Kyle Turris is in the vicinity of $6.5 million , ballpark, and he wants a minimum of seven or eight years. Even if Dorion liked those numbers it appears that he does not have the support of his ownership. Eugene Melnyk doesn’t appear in any hurry to sign him to this type of contract.”

Queue the speculation on where the 28-year-old pivot will end up. The Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins are reportedly interested, but now an Sens inside, Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, reports that another team might throw an offer the Sens way: the St. Louis Blues. 

According to Garrioch:

"It’s believed the St. Louis Blues showed interest in Turris during the pre-season when it was apparent the two sides weren’t close on a deal."

Interesting. The Blues are certainly an interesting fit, at least on paper. With Paul Stastny, Brayden Schenn, Oskar Sundqvist and Kyle Brodziak down the middle in St. Louis, Turris would slot in well and could transform the team’s offense in a big way. The question is, who could the team move back to Ottawa? Would Sens GM Pierre Dorion have interest in first round pick Klim Kostin? Or how about potential #1 center Ivan Barbashev? It’ll likely take a package of picks and prospects for the Blues to pry Turris out of Ottawa, but don’t be surprised if you hear Blues GM Doug Armstrong in rumor headlines for the next while.