NHL Rumors: St. Louis Blues Linked To Multiple Defensemen

The St. Louis Blues have a lot going right for them this season. They are currently ranked in the top 10 in both goals for and goals against per game, both their powerplay and their penalty kill are currently ranked in the top 3 in the league, and second-year goalie Ville Husso has a .941 save percentage which is the best in the entire NHL. Husso's performance is actually bittersweet as it comes with the caveat that his success has come during a time when Binnington has struggled - the 28-year-old is having his worst statistical season with a .901 save percentage and 3.27 goals-against average. Binnington has been streaky in the past as well, and as long as they have one hot goalie come playoff time - the Blues have reason to be confident.

One area where the Blues likely need to improve ahead of a Cup run would be their defense. When the Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019, they had 3x All-Star Alex Pietrangelo, 2x All-Star Jay Bouwmeester, and Vince Dunn - who had 12 goals that season. All three of those players are no longer with the organization, and the Blues haven't done a great job of patching the holes.

The Blues have been linked to a number of defensemen around the league including most recently Ben Chiarot of the Montreal Canadiens, whose tough defensive style might finally convince head coach Craig Berube to split up the offensive-minded pair of Torey Krug and Justin Faulk. The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford thinks the Blues will make a move for a "quality defensemen" ahead of the deadline, and mentions several players by name:

That group includes Montreal’s Ben Chiarot, Anaheim’s Hampus Lindholm and Seattle’s Mark Giordano. I know the Blues have scouted Chiarot and Lindholm, and they faced Giordano twice last month.

Arizona’s Jakob Chychrun, who’s under contract for three more years after this one, is also an option. (More on Chychrun below.) The deadline is slowly inching closer, but it’s still seven weeks away. So there’s plenty of time for clubs to rise and fall in the standings and for prices to do the same.

Keep an eye on the Blues ahead of the deadline as they attempt to win their second Stanley Cup in four years.