Winnipeg Jets get: C Paul Stastny
St. Louis Blues get: 2018 first-round pick, 2020 fourth-round pick, C Erik Foley
Follow all the trade deadline action here.
Click here for all of the trade grades ahead of the 2017-18 deadline.
Winnipeg Jets: A
For the conspiratorial among us, the rest of the Western Conference's contenders seemed as if they were trying to keep trade deadline centers away from the Jets, with the Vegas Golden Knights (Derick Brassard) and Nashville Predators (Mark Letestu) helping to facilitate deals for other teams.
Well, apparently Blues GM Doug Armstrong didn't get the memo. Or, perhaps, his team is no longer a contender so this doesn't apply.
Stastny is a cut above any other center rumored to be available at the deadline. He has 12 goals and 28 assists in 63 games this season, skating 18:41 per game and winning 55.2 percent of his faceoffs. In the constant arms race in the Western Conference, going at least three deep at center is mandatory. The Jets now have that depth, with Stastny rounding out a balanced and talented trio with Mark Scheifele and Bryan Little, with Andrew Copp likely moving to a fourth-line role. (Unlike the Jets' top two centers, Stastny is a lefty.)
Does he slot in next to Patrik Laine? That would be fun.
Stastny's points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 this season is 2.05, which actually would be his highest rate since he was with the Blues and highest since he was at 2.21 for the Avalanche in 2013-14. Despite 2:44 per game on the power play, he's only generated five points.
There's a lot to love here for the Jets. Stastny has an expiring contract. He's someone GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has coveted for years. He had 16 points in his past 27 playoff games, including five goals -- and this is a Jets team that needs that kind of performance as it seeks its first playoff win in franchise history.
It's also a surprising move, in the sense that Stastny waived his no-trade clause to move to a city with such well-chronicled Wi-Fi problems.
St. Louis Blues: B-
Wow, this was a stunner.
Here we were thinking the Blues were going to add something to turn around their spiraling season -- losing six in a row -- and instead they ship out their fourth-leading scorer in Stastny.
But from a long-term planning perspective, this is smart. They grab a low first-rounder for an expiring contract; and they add Foley, a good prospect who projects to play in the NHL. He's a top-line player for Providence who is improving, with the kind of work ethic that fits the Blues' ethos.
Plus, if they want Stastny back next season -- albeit at a much smaller salary than his current $7 million -- then he'll be available as a fallback option if their John Tavares pursuit doesn't pan out.
With the salary the Blues retained, one hoped they might squeeze a bit more out of this deal. But the biggest news here isn't the return on Stastny but that the Blues -- once a lock for the playoffs -- would make this move at all. Is this raising the white flag or a move to snap them out of their funk? Or both?