Brayden Schenn Drawing Interest As Trade Deadline Approaches

The St. Louis Blues certainly haven’t had the season they expected, and even if they win tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens (which they lead 3-0 at the time of this writing) are still down another man. Robert Thomas left the game with an apparent shoulder injury and will not return. While that may not end up being anything serious, it’s just another frustrating development in a season full of them. The Blues sit in last place in the Central Division with a 17-20-4 record and can see their playoff hopes slipping away.

That’s almost certainly why a new Blues player is in the news every week as a potential trade target, and this time it’s Brayden Schenn who is drawing interest from around the league. That’s according to Pierre LeBrun on the latest edition of Insider Trading for TSN, who states that the Blues are in “full listening mode” after the frustrating start to the year. LeBrun uses the Boston Bruins as a specific team who are keeping an eye on Schenn, which makes sense given their struggles with secondary scoring and depth down the middle.

It won’t be just Boston interested in Schenn if he’s put up for sale near the trade deadline though, as there’s a lot to like from the player who recorded 70 points last season. Still just 27 years old, Schenn carries just a $5.125MM cap hit for this season and next before hitting unrestricted free agency. While that 70-point mark may be unreachable this year, he still does have 24 points in 37 games while offering some physicality and solid puck possession skills. If teams are looking for something more than the rental options of Kevin Hayes or Matt Duchene, Schenn would be an enticing player given his reasonable salary and big upside.

We’ve seen what that upside costs before though, as Schenn was traded to the Blues less than two years ago for a package that included two first-round picks. Even with a somewhat down year and a lot less time remaining on his contract the price tag is sure to be pretty steep on a player of Schenn’s caliber, which is why LeBrun suggests that some of the big trades St. Louis is planning might have to wait until the summer. Still, if a for sale sign is put up outside the Enterprise Center, there is sure to be plenty of buyers knocking on the doors.