That makes no sense whatsoever. Barbashev isn't meant to be amazing he is playing 4th Line. He is a solid 4th Liner right now. Brodziak quite a bit older, and not as cheap as Barbashev.

I get that that is the narrative, and I wouldn't expect them to actually do it, but Brodziak was their second best center last year. He could help a ton and help a struggling PK. Barbashev has struggled if you look into the advanced stats. He's been the third worst forward when it comes to 5v5 shot creation and suppression, ahead of only Kyrou and Soshnikov. https://hockeyviz.com/player/barbaiv95/STL/1819

Yes I know I look at HockeyViz and Corsica. Barby isn't the greatest, but he is used for getting in the dirty areas. Not his greatest season either.

If STL were to give up on a young Barbashev for Brodziak (who I liked a lot in STL), Edmonton would have to include a solid pick. Barbashev is only going to improve whereas Brod is approaching the end of a solid career.

I'd imagine a pick might be involved too. Not 100% sure i see Barbashev being much more than where he's at now but that's just opinion on my part.

I don't totally disagree with your idea that Barbashev may have already reached his ceiling. My only counter to that is he has taken a huge step in confidence and physicality this year. He'll never score you 15 goals, but he was a marginal NHLer the last two years. He is a bona fide 4th line NHL player this year, so he has grown some. My best comparison that I can think of is he may give you an Oskar Sundquist-type season. Ten goals is pretty good for either one of them, although I'd argue SunnyQ has better hands than Barby.