I think of it this way: STL couldn't keep Karlsson and Pietrangelo on their next contracts. So we'd lose Parayko and Kyrou in a trade, then lose Pietrangelo to free agency, then have $12m Erik Karlsson instead of 3 core pieces. Or otherwise put, next year Karlsson will make the same amount of money that the Blues will pay Pietrangelo + Parayko combined. I'd rather have the 49ish minutes that those two can play per night than the 27 min of EK. He's an elite talent but I don't really see a fit with STL.

I'd take that Hoffman-Fabbri deal for sure. OTT is assuming a lot of risks even with the conditions on the pick. Blues could really use a guy like Hoffman to help spread out the scoring.

You didn't consider that the Blues are getting rid of Bouwmeester (5.4Mil), which would free up enough space to keep Pietrangelo and Karlsson. Combined they would eat up 60 Minutes a night. They could be the next Seabrook and Keith Combo (But better)

Its a lot for STL to give up. If this is what it takes to get a year of Karlsson I don't see many teams giving up their best young up and coming player (Parayko), their top prospect (Kyrou/Thomas) and a 1st for 1 year of EK.

Hoffman trade looks good.

It was a sign and trade. Not for a year. But 9.

Well I wouldn't say 60...but I do think they could extend Pietrangelo as well with some dollars off the books and the cap continuing to climb. 20 million is a lot for 2 defenders but they're two top 10 guys in the league and both in their prime. If they could keep that forward group relatively the same in addition to some of their many young prospects developing (Husso being the biggest one) I'd be surprised if I didn't see them in multiple cup finals.

I'm looking at it a little closer, and yes, the Blues could manage the cap for a few years with 20m tied up in EK + Petro. But the more fundamental argument is this: which would you rather have:

EK (12) + Petro (8) = $20m

Petro (8) + Parayko (5.5) + Kyrou (.77) + UFA, e.g. McDonagh/Eberle/Skinner (6) = $20.3m

I definitely see the argument that EK + Petro would be a dominant duo, but I think Parayko at 5.5 is only incrementally less valuable than EK at 12, provided that the Blues actually use that cap savings to their advantage.

I definitely see your point. And I say this with no offense, but if you want to be a playoff contender every year, yeah Pietrangelo and Parayko are a great combo. But if you wanna be a Cup contender every year, Karlsson and Pietrangelo are a combo that no other team has. Also I'm willing to bet all of those UFA's get more than 6 million.

I also think Karl will be 10.5-11. I'm not sure what the taxes are like in Missouri but I'm sure they are much more forgiving than Ontario, which could be a difference of millions with a contract that big. Meaning his AAV could be less.

No offense taken. Believe me, I'm aware of the dangers of being good and not great. It's been our flaw in back-to-back years now, and in most of the 48 yrs before that...

EK at less than $11m would be an awesome add, but his quotes make it seem like he'll want very top dollar. And I'm still not sure if OTT would have the leverage to pry Kyrou and a 1st along with Parayko - if it becomes obvious that they're unable to extend EK, his trade value will be much less than his player value, if that makes sense. It's definitely a good trade thought though, kudos to you.

No offense taken. Believe me, I'm aware of the dangers of being good and not great. It's been our flaw in back-to-back years now, and in most of the 48 yrs before that...

EK at less than $11m would be an awesome add, but his quotes make it seem like he'll want very top dollar. And I'm still not sure if OTT would have the leverage to pry Kyrou and a 1st along with Parayko - if it becomes obvious that they're unable to extend EK, his trade value will be much less than his player value, if that makes sense. It's definitely a good trade thought though, kudos to you.

No offense taken. Believe me, I'm aware of the dangers of being good and not great. It's been our flaw in back-to-back years now, and in most of the 48 yrs before that...

EK at less than $11m would be an awesome add, but his quotes make it seem like he'll want very top dollar. And I'm still not sure if OTT would have the leverage to pry Kyrou and a 1st along with Parayko - if it becomes obvious that they're unable to extend EK, his trade value will be much less than his player value, if that makes sense. It's definitely a good trade thought though, kudos to you.

What if you replaced Parayko with Petro...
Petro and a 1st for Karlsson?

Blues dont have to worry so much about cap and can sign Karlsson no problem and you keep Parayko in his role as the 2nd best RHD and Karlsson takes over as the Blues number one and fixes PP issues.
Ottawa gets a great all around RHD for at least two years plus a 1st.

Assuming you resign EK and others -
Eddy Karlsson
Dunn Parayko
Walman Borts/Schmaltz/Reinke