Blues Likely To Trade Or Waive Nate Prosser

The Blues are likely to waive or trade defenseman Nate Prosser in the coming days, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required).  The recent return of Jay Bouwmeester to the lineup has pushed Prosser down to eighth on their depth chart which makes it unlikely that he’ll be seeing much action for the foreseeable future.

[Related: Blues Depth Chart from Roster Resource]

Prosser signed with the Blues back in early August, inking a two-year contract worth the league minimum salary of $650K per year.  However, despite getting the one-way deal and a bit of job security, it hasn’t resulted in much playing time as the 31-year-old has suited up just once this season while being a healthy scratch 22 times.  That lack of game action may make it difficult to find a taker via the trade route, at least without him accepting a conditioning stint first.

Russo wonders if Prosser’s former team in Minnesota might be interested in bringing him back.  The Wild have been basically rotating Gustav Olofsson, Kyle Quincey, and Mike Reilly in and out of the lineup and none have been particularly effective as of late.  They would certainly be familiar with Prosser as he has played in 282 games with them over two separate stints while he would also provide them with a third right-handed shot on their back end.

Considering the situation, it’s hard to imagine Prosser yielding much of a return via a trade for St. Louis.  Defensemen on the fringes of the roster like he is have made it through waivers a few times already this season which makes it more likely that he’ll similarly find himself on the wire before too long.