Blues acquire Konrad Abeltshauser in a trade with San Jose

The Blues have traded a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for German defenseman Konrad Abeltshauser. The trade barely registers on the noteworthy meter and likely won’t factor in the team’s roster for 2015-16.

Abeltshauser skated in 50 AHL games in 2014-15 with the Worcester Sharks. Over that time, he produced three goals and 16 assists.

Here’s some analysis courtesy of Hockey’s Future:

Abeltshauser has the physical characteristics of an elite level talent. He has NHL size and very good skating ability given his frame. He is more noted for his strong offensive skills in which he will jump up into the rush but he has demonstrated at the CHL level to have a very strong defensive game. He does not play enough with an edge and because of this his slot coverage, most notably clearing of the crease is not as adept as it should be given his size.

The big German-born blueliner’s future is hard to predict. He could conceivably play anywhere from first pairing minutes in the NHL to never quite making the jump.

At a time where fans want to see the Blues sign their stars and make a major change to the roster, the Blues made a minor trade which has no immediate implications. Pretty appropriate, really.