All eyes are on St. Louis Blues defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk ahead of the March 1 NHL trade deadline. The Blues are believed to be working hard to move the 28-year-old, who’ll be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and will command a hefty price.
According to a report by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s Jeremy Rutherford, the Blues had a deal in place six weeks ago to send Shattenkirk to a team that was offering a long-term contract: seven years and $42 million. The problem? Shattenkirk reportedly turned the deal down.
The team in question is believed to be the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As Rutherford reports, it’s unclear what St. Louis would have received in exchange for sending Shattenkirk to the Lightning.
This isn’t the first time Shattenkirk has turned down a trade. As Rutherford writes:
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This is believed to be at least the second trade proposal the Blues have had within the last year that Shattenkirk has vetoed. He also turned down a potential deal to Edmonton last June that would have yielded forward Taylor Hall, according to league sources. Hall was eventually dealt to New Jersey for defenceman Adam Larsson.
[cite]— St. Louis Post-Dispatch[/cite]
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Shattenkirk’s agent and Blues GM Doug Armstrong reportedly declined comment on the story.
With less than a week remaining, the clock is winding down for the Blues to find a deal that works for both Shattenkirk and the team hoping to land him.
