As the St. Louis Blues sit in 13th place in the Western Conference standings and 7 points out of a possible playoff spot, it was easy to see that some players would be moved.
Trading Eric Brewer was not a surprise. Trading Erik Johnson kind of was.
But lost in the mix through these two trades of high profile defensemen is Jay McClement.
McClement was part of the Johnson trade and although his name has come up in trade rumors leading up to this weekend's wheeling and dealing, his presence on the Blues will sorely be missed.
"Jay is an excellent pro," St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "He's someone you can count on night in, night out. You knew that he was going to bring a strong work ethic to the game. You knew that he was going to compete every night ... someone I respect as a man as much as a player. But again, to get something of quality, you have to give something of quality, and I think this is a trade that's going to benefit both teams. I know Colorado is getting two fine people and two fine players and I really believe we're doing the same."
While McClement has just 6 goals and 10 assists on the season, he has been one of the most reliable and steady players on the Blues front line over the past several seasons.
One of the team's top penalty killers and serving as the "grinding" third line center, McClement was the type of two-way glue player that good teams need.
But this isn't a good team. Not yet at least. And trading McClement in order to get an offensive threat like Chris Stewart was the right thing for the Blues to do.
McClement will be missed.
And I have a feeling he won't be the last player dealt in the next few days.
Trading Eric Brewer was not a surprise. Trading Erik Johnson kind of was.
But lost in the mix through these two trades of high profile defensemen is Jay McClement.
McClement was part of the Johnson trade and although his name has come up in trade rumors leading up to this weekend's wheeling and dealing, his presence on the Blues will sorely be missed.
"Jay is an excellent pro," St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "He's someone you can count on night in, night out. You knew that he was going to bring a strong work ethic to the game. You knew that he was going to compete every night ... someone I respect as a man as much as a player. But again, to get something of quality, you have to give something of quality, and I think this is a trade that's going to benefit both teams. I know Colorado is getting two fine people and two fine players and I really believe we're doing the same."
While McClement has just 6 goals and 10 assists on the season, he has been one of the most reliable and steady players on the Blues front line over the past several seasons.
One of the team's top penalty killers and serving as the "grinding" third line center, McClement was the type of two-way glue player that good teams need.
But this isn't a good team. Not yet at least. And trading McClement in order to get an offensive threat like Chris Stewart was the right thing for the Blues to do.
McClement will be missed.
And I have a feeling he won't be the last player dealt in the next few days.
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