Blues Trade Rumors

Recently the Blues were apparently rumored to be involved in "exploratory" discussions regarding their former 1st overall draft pick, Erik Johnson.

Now, take this all with a grain of salt but there have been various rumors around the league lately that the Blues may be considering to move Johnson to obtain an experienced scorer to bolster their offense.

Currently, the Blues have a Powerplay that is ranked 26th (out of 30) in the NHL.

They also rank 20th in the NHL in the "Goals For" category.

The Blues have had a tendency to blow the lead many times during the season and are notorious for not being able to score enough goals during the game. Even when the Blues were healthy and ranked in the top 5 in the league after their first 10 games, they were only winning games by having only 2 or 3 goals scored during the game. Many times Halak and the defense would bail them out with some great play or big save.

The time is coming for the Blues Management to reward their sellout crowds with some new blood. Adding a true sniper to this roster would make a big difference in terms of being able to win games. Having another clutch scorer would take away pressure from guys like Brad Boyes, TJ Oshie, Alex Steen, Patrik Berglund, David Perron, etc. Having that extra threat would make the entire team better in terms of having another weapon for the opposition to worry about. It allows another dimension of line combinations and match-ups that head coach Davis Payne would jump at.

The possibilities are endless when talking about adding a 70 plus point player to this already talented roster. The big thing is that this team needs a consistent effort of hard work and dedication over a full 60 minute game. Adding another guy who has the ability to bury these chances that the Blues are missing would help ramp up their spirits a bit. They wouldn't get so discouraged and then in turn it would positively affect their work ethic.

Now talking about trading Erik Johnson for a guy like Alexander Semin is something of a rough topic for some fans.

Before I get into the pros and cons of making a trade like this, I'll post up some stats for you, comparing the two players.

Erik Johnson

Drafted in 2006 (1st Overall)
Age: 22
Country: United States
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 232 lbs
Position: Defense
Handedness: Right

2007/2008 Stats: GP (69) G (5) A (28) P (35) +/- (-9)

2008/2009 Stats: DID NOT PLAY (Knee Injury)

2009/2010 Stats: GP (79) G (10) A (29) P (39) +/- (1)

Current 2010/2011 Stats: GP (47) G (5) A (12) P (17) +/- (-6)


Alexander Semin

Drafted in 2002 (13th Overall)
Age: 26
Country: Russia
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 208 lbs
Position: Left Wing / Right Wing
Handedness: Left

2003/2004 Stats: GP (52) G (10) A (12) P (22) +/- (-2)

2004/2005 Stats: KHL

2005/2006 Stats: KHL

2006/2007 Stats: GP (77) G (38) A (35) P (73) +/- (-7)

2007/2008 Stats: GP (63) G (26) A (16) P (42) +/- (-18)

2008/2009 Stats: GP (62) G (34) A (45) P (72) +/- (25)

2009/2010 Stats: GP (73) G (40) A (44) P (84) +/- (36)

Current 2010/2011 Stats: GP (39) G (18) A (17) P (35) +/- (8)


As you can see above, both players are great at their position. If the Blues hang onto Erik Johnson then they will probably be impressed because he will most likely turn into a great player. He hasn't had the time to accurately develop into a complete player yet and we're seeing him go through a lot of growing pains currently. A lot of fans would say that he's hit a wall in his production or that his knee injury has made him weaker and less able to handle it like he did when he was a rookie. The fact of the matter is that we just don't know what he will turn into. Only time will tell.

On the topic of Alexander Semin, I think he would be a great addition to this roster. He's a guy that took a little bit of time to break out and now that he has, he produces every season, even when he gets hurt. He's a guy that the Capitals can count on to score in games when everyone else is having problems. He is right in his prime and is averaging about point per game stats this season on a club that is trying to shift into a 2-way development program for its players. Semin, known for being 1-dimensional looks like he's adjusting well to the style that the Capitals coaching staff has implemented. It seems like Semin has some size and speed that would be extremely complimentary to guys like Oshie, Berglund, Sobotka, Steen, etc.

The only problem is that we could be giving away the next Chris Pronger to get him.

There is a gamble any way you try to slice a trade like this but Saint Louis seems like it has great knowledge when drafting defensemen. The prime examples are Roman Polak, Alex Pietrangelo, Ian Cole, and Johnson himself. All of these players are turning into great d-men. Would trading Johnson really impact our teams' depth on defense as much as some say? I'm not sure...

What I do know is that this team needs offense and it hasn't addressed the need for a pure scoring forward since acquiring Brad Boyes (and look how that turned out). Blues Fans are in need of a real difference maker and we may have to give up something that some fans covet to be "The Next Big Thing". There's a gamble in everything but I'd roll the dice on a guy that is consistent in what he does and would bring a new dimension of skill to this roster.

With the emergence of Ian Cole and Alex Pietrangelo, trading away Johnson doesn't seem so bad when you think of how well this organization can draft defensemen.