2 Best Blues Trade Targets in the 2024 NHL Offseason

The St. Louis Blues challenged for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot late last season. They struggled to start the year, even firing head coach Craig Berube after a loss to the Detroit Red Wings before the calendar turned. But they responded well to interim coach Drew Bannister and challenged the Vegas Golden Knights for the final playoff spot in the West.

The Blues removed Bannister’s interim tag after their late-season surge. And this summer, St. Louis has made some interesting moves to try to improve their roster for the coming year. They’ve been particularly active on the trade front, with four different deals completed. Three of those deals involved adding players to their roster.

If St. Louis continues to add to their roster, it will likely be via the trade market. There are more impactful options via trade at this point in the offseason. Let’s take a look at two potential Blues trade targets to consider after NHL free agency.

Blues could be calling about Marco Rossi

At the end of last season, St. Louis relied on a pair of wingers to move to the middle of the ice to play center. Jordan Kyrou can play center, but is better suited as a wing. Additionally, Kasperi Kapanen is a winger by trade, but played center occasionally last season. The Blues addressed this by acquiring Radek Faska and Alexandre Texier this summer.

However, they also traded center Kevin Hayes to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This leaves room to add a center to this roster. Enter young Minnesota Wild pivot Marco Rossi. Rossi had a breakout season for the Wild this season, scoring 21 goals and 40 points in 82 games this year.

It’s unlikely the Wild would actually want to trade Rossi. He’s finally showing the promise they saw in him when they made him a top-10 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. That said, if he continues to show up, he’ll likely demand a pricey long-term contract when he becomes a restricted free agent. And with Brock Faber due for an extension, the Wild may not be able to afford it.

The Blues would also have a hard time signing him to an extension, to be fair. But they could certainly find ways to free up cap space if necessary. A Rossi trade would allow the Wild to sell high while St. Louis adds a legitimate second-line center, freeing up Pavel Buchnevich to move back to the wing. It’s a complicated scenario, but it could do wonders for everyone involved.

Kaapo Kakko is an intriguing option

The Blues already have a lot of talent on the wing. Jake Neighbors and Jordan Kyrou impressed last season, and Buchnevich is one of the best scoring wingers in the league. Veteran Brandon Saad also had a banner year with 26 goals in 82 games. That said, they could still take a chance on a young winger with potential like Kaapo Kakko.

Hockey fans are familiar with Kakko’s plight by now. The New York Rangers drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s struggled for most of his career, though. He scored 40 points in 2022-23, but struggled to maintain that form in 2023-24. He also dealt with injuries for parts of last campaign.

A Kakko trade is more likely a “hockey trade” at this point, as New York likely isn’t interested in a collection of picks and prospects. That said, Kakko could provide St. Louis with a bit of insurance. If he performs well in the lineup, he could earn more ice time as the season progresses. Especially if any of the top six wingers underperform. Overall, it’s an interesting matchup with the Blues for the Rangers’ former second overall pick.