St. Louis Blues Rumors: New Team Linked to Barbashev

Ivan Barbashev is one of the most intriguing forwards currently available before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. The St. Louis Blues forward is expected to be moved due to his pending UFA status, and a new team has entered the sweepstakes because of it. According to The Fourth Period, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to acquire him.

The Penguins are in a position where they should be adding to their roster before the deadline passes. After all, they are currently aiming to maintain their playoff spot, and teams like the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, and Florida Panthers are not too far behind. Thus, strengthening their middle six by bringing in a talented forward like Barbashev would make sense for them.

Barbashev would give the Penguins more secondary scoring, immense physicality, and some help on their penalty kill, so he certainly is an alluring target for them. We will now need to wait and see if their interest leads to them winning the Barbashev sweepstakes from here.