The St. Louis Blues have traded winger Ivan Barbashev to the Vegas Golden Knights in a move featuring two teams going in different directions.
In return, the Blues pick up prospect Zach Dean. A first-round pick of the Golden Knights in 2021, the centerman has scored 24 goals and 49 points in 50 games in the QMJHL this season.
Potentially finding a two-way, top-nine forward became a priority when the Golden Knights announced on Feb. 1 that captain and left winger Mark Stone underwent a second surgery on his back in less than a year. Stone, who was injured Jan. 12, was initially ruled out indefinitely, with the team later moving him to long-term injured reserve.
Sending Stone and his $9.5 million cap hit to LTIR in addition to trading Shea Weber‘s contract last week gave the Golden Knights the cap space to make a move. Vegas has gone 7-5-4 since Stone has been out of the lineup, but they’ve won six of their past eight games.
Enter Barbashev. The 27-year-old has 10 goals and 29 points in 59 games this season. He’s projected to finish this season with 14 goals and 40 points after scoring a career-high 26 goals and 60 points in 2021-22. Barbashev has also scored nine points in 50 playoff games. He is also a pending unrestricted free agent who is in the last of a two-year deal carrying a $2.25 million cap hit.
Barbashev’s arrival gives the Golden Knights a winger who can operate on both the penalty kill and the power play. He also provides depth for a team that entered Sunday with the best record in the Western Conference. Vegas holds a two-point lead over the Los Angeles Kings and are one of four Pacific teams separated by six points at the top. They also hold a two-point lead over the Central-leading Dallas Stars.
Barbashev was one of the last few players remaining from the Blues’ Stanley Cup team in 2018-19, and his departure is the latest signal that St. Louis is a team in transition from the one that made the playoffs in four straight seasons. It started Feb. 9, when the Blues traded All-Star winger Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola to the New York Rangers for forward Sammy Blais, prospect Hunter Skinner, a conditional 2023 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick.
On Feb. 18, the Blues sent captain Ryan O’Reilly to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a three-team deal. St. Louis also traded away forward Noel Acciari in the deal, and in return received forward Adam Gaudette, prospect Mikhail Abramov, the Leafs’ 2023 first-round pick, the Ottawa Senators‘ 2023 third-round pick and the Leafs’ 2024 second-round pick.
It gives the Blues, who entered Sunday more than 12 points adrift of the final wild-card spot, quite a bit of draft capital. Prior to the Barbashev trade, the Blues had nine picks in this year’s draft (three in the first round) in addition to nine picks for 2024.
Source: www.espn.com