NHL Trade Rumors 2017: The New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins Are Reportedly Interested in St. Louis Blues Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk
As the March 1 trade deadline draws near, a lot of names will continue to appear in trade rumors. However, some players have been on the trading block the entire season, and they have learned to block out the noise and concentrate on the game. St. Louis Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is one such player.
Pundits believe the New York Rangers and the Boston Bruins might make a move to acquire Shattenkirk before the trade deadline, but Shattenkirk has refused to let the rumors affect his play. "My whole mentality is that when it happens, it happens. I can't control when or where it's going to be. I have to focus on my everyday responsibilities here," he said, according to ESPN. "You almost become numb to it. It's like part of your routine," he added.
"The most pleasing thing for me that I've seen from Shatty is he's aware of his situation, it's talked about daily, but he's completely all in to this group," Blues coach Mike Yeo said.
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Robert Nasso of FanRag Sports thinks that the Rangers should just ship Derek Stepan to the Blues to acquire Kevin Shattenkirk. He pointed out that it's a win-win situation because Stepan could serve as Paul Stastny's replacement when his contract expires after the 2017-18 season. Nasso also noted that the Rangers could get short-term cap relief in that trade, and this would allow them to acquire a third-line center.
Shattenkirk is playing really well this season, but the Blues are afraid of losing him in the offseason when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Sources believe that the team will rather trade him right now than face the possibility of losing him for nothing if they can't re-sign him.
A number of contenders should give Shattenkirk a long look before the trade deadline since he may turn out to be the missing piece of the puzzle.
