from Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

Fixing the Blues’ goalie situation is priority No. 1, but here’s the thing — remember when the Blues were still considered good? They still had some major issues, which persist today.

And these issues are quandaries.

Consider that the Blues have been shaky on defense. Struggling to get the puck out of their zone, to get bodies on opponents, or even, as we saw with Carl Gunnarsson against Washington, to stay upright (to be fair, it is slippery out there). Coach Ken Hitchcock continually mixes up his pairings. St. Louis must improve at defense … yet a smart move is to, effectively, make the defense worse by trading Kevin Shattenkirk, a free-agent-to-be.

Also, the Blues could use a sturdy centerman. But to get one who could truly make a difference, such as the desirable Matt Duchene from Colorado, the Blues might have to trade one of their young pieces, a piece they hoped to build around (and part of the reason they didn’t feel the need to sign David Backes long term).

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