The St. Louis Blues haven't made any big moves this summer. The most impactful move general manager Doug Armstrong has made so far has been signing Pavel Buchnevich to a new six-year contract extension. However, he has made some moves that hint at his plans for the team in the 2024-25 season. Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter are two former Dallas Stars players who could be traded at the trade deadline. It may feel too early to talk about the deadline, but for a team that appears to be rebuilding, adding these two players could be smart moves to build a better future for the franchise.
Faksa's penalty-killing prowess
The first addition was Czech Republic native Radek Faksa, acquired via trade. The Stars traded him to the Blues for the final season of his five-year, $16.25 million contract to save on salary cap space, even though Faksa's contract was once worth a lot to Dallas. All the Blues had to give up was the always-vague “future considerations.” Essentially, Armstrong got a player for free. But the cheap acquisition cost penalizes the Blues' valuable player.
Although Faksa lacks scoring prowess, his high level of defensive ability has made him one of the most valuable bottom-six forwards in the league. He has been voted for the Selke Trophy four seasons in a row. He performed just okay last season, but still limited chances at a very high level against the Stars. In fact, he had an excellent season as a “role player” in 2023-24. Still, the Stars decided they could not afford to keep him on the roster and traded him to the Blues.
Faksa isn't a long-term fit for the Blues, given his age and the goal of building a younger core. Armstrong may be using one asset (salary-cap space) to his advantage at the deadline. Many teams would value a reliable penalty killer with plenty of playoff experience, and Faksa fits that bill better than almost anyone in the league. The Blues could easily take half his contract and trade him for a future prospect, when the time is right.
Suter's veteran presence
The 39-year-old defenseman was talked about as a potential addition earlier this week, and it made sense given the injury news to Torey Krug. Still, with other left-handed defensemen already on the roster, such as Tyler Tucker and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Suter makes the most sense as a potential addition for Armstrong at the deadline.
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Suter didn't have a great season, but that impression is mostly based on his playoff run. During the regular season, he was still a generally positive defender in terms of expected goals blocked (xGA) and scoring attempts. Sure, his best seasons are behind him, but Suter won't just be chasing milestones in the 2024-25 season. He's still looking to prove he's got it, and he'll want another chance to chase the Stanley Cup when the playoffs come around.
Despite his lackluster postseason performance this year, some teams will value Suter's veteran leadership as an addition to the roster as the deadline approaches, and Armstrong could easily have a chance to cash in on a league-low free-agent contract and turn Suter into an asset for the future, especially if Suter performs well up to that point in the season.
asset management
Suter and Faksa spent many seasons with the Blues as division rivals, but they could play big roles in the future of the franchise. No, neither will be the most sought-after player at the deadline. But teams will want both players. And if the Blues can't seriously contend for the playoffs, trading both would be a no-brainer for Armstrong. The players would likely fetch mid-round picks. But they're still valuable future players. Both additions were smart moves by the general manager to create value after Nicholas leaves and strengthen the future of the franchise.
