Fans begging for the Blues to change their core got their wish. T.J. Oshie has been traded to the Capitals in exchange for forward Troy Brouwer, goaltender Pheonix Copley and a 2016 third-round pick. Consider this not only a major move which alters the St. Louis roster, but also one which sends a big wakeup call to those remaining with the team.
Let’s talk about Oshie. He was adored by Blues fans. He was apart of the “Kid Line” which was partially responsible for lifting the Blues out of the dark days and back into the playoffs. Unfortunately, for all of Oshie’s positives there are quite a few negatives.
On the whole, Oshie is extremely overvalued in St. Louis. Shootout heroics both for the team and on the national stage paired with the “Kid Line” glory days have led to an artificial inflation in value. Oshie is a solid talent, but he’s not – and has proven not to be – a player you can turn to when the chips are all on the table such as in the playoffs.
If you asked what Oshie’s best skill is, what would people say? Shootout. That’s a problem, especially now that the NHL is adopting a new 3-on-3 OT format which will lead to significantly fewer games requiring a shootout. It’s still a worthwhile asset, but it’s no longer the focal point it once was.
The running joke of “Oshie Down” each time Oshie loses his balance has evolved from joke to serious issue. Remember the days of #Oshied? It’s been a long time since Oshie effectively used his body to disrupt opponents. His style is a much more cautious one (the likely result of several injuries) and that decreases his value.
Oshie is capable of goals which get the NHL buzzing, but unfortunately those were never scored in the playoffs. That’s true of most of the Blues’ core, but Oshie is the one who is paying for it.
As for the return …
Brouwer had 21 goals last year (two more than Oshie) and 43 points (12 fewer than Oshie). He’s a physical skater who will park himself in front of the net or bruise defenders along the boards. Brouwer will be more useful on the penalty kill than Oshie.
Copley appeared in 26 AHL games with the Hershey Bears last year and posted a 17-4-3 record with a 2.17 GAA and a save percentage of .925. He should slide right into the Chicago Wolves as the Blues were searching for an AHL netminder.
Immediate thoughts …
The Blues had to make a change. The same core couldn’t return in 2015-16. It’s really that simple. At least one player had to go and the options were Oshie, David Backes, Alexander Steen, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and maybe a couple others. From those listed (I intentionally skipped Patrik Berglund because I don’t think the return would be even worth moving him and I’d argue he’s not truly a member of the core group), Oshie made the most sense to move.
The return in a trade will always be questionable. Here, the Blues picked up a physical forward who can assist Backes in battling in front of the net. He is a proven 20ish goal scorer and he historically hasn’t disappeared in the playoffs. It’s too early to weigh in on Copley or the pick, but those are nice additions to the trade.
Here’s a couple media takes:
Blues have been looking for an apples for apples trade of core guys for some time. In Brouwer they get a character guy, more physical player
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 2, 2015
Not feeling how many appear down on Troy Brouwer in the T.J. Oshie deal. Can score, physical, durable. West will be war of attrition.
— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) July 2, 2015
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
