The Boston Bruins are looking to improve their defense and they’ve reportedly spoken with the St. Louis Blues about Kevin Shattenkirk. The Blues have Shattenkirk under contract in 2016-17, but they may elect to move the defenseman as he’ll need a pricey extension which may force the Blues into a difficult cap situation.
Here’s the report from the Ottawa Sun:
The Boston Bruins are trying to add another blueliner and the word is they’re spoken to St. Louis about blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk. The belief is the Blues don’t want him in the West and the Bruins might be a good fit for a deal.
That’s pretty speculative and it’s highly likely that a ton of teams have contacted the Blues about Shattenkirk. Just about every NHL team could use a defenseman who can contribute offensively and lead a power play. Two other teams were also mentioned in the report – Buffalo and Edmonton. The Oilers are mentioned in just about every report discussing a trade involving a defenseman, but they do have some pieces which might interest the Blues.
Shattenkirk scored 14 goals and 30 assists in 72 games. Of those 44 points, 32 came with the man advantage. He’s an incredible offensive talent, but he has received some criticism for his defensive play particularly during the Blues’ playoff run. Some of that criticism was unwarranted, but he’ll definitely be pursued for his offensive skills rather than his defensive skills.
The Blues may end up signing Shattenkirk to an extension, but it’s interesting seeing reports of which teams are reaching out to try and secure his services.
