from Jeremy P. Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,

“I thought something would possibly happen at the draft,” Oshie said. “After a couple of days, I just figured that I’d be staying in St. Louis. I got a call from (Blues general manager Doug) Armstrong today and my initial reaction was a little bit of shock, even though that I knew it was a possibility.”

The Blues’ ongoing search for a deal ended in Washington, where they found a forward in Brouwer, who they believe better fits their style.

Brouwer, 29, is a rugged 6-foot-3, 215-pound winger who has 132 goals and 255 points in 531 games with Chicago and Washington. He tied a career-high in points with the Capitals last season with 43, including 22 assists.

“Troy is a power forward in today’s game ... plays the way the Blues are looking to play moving forward,” Armstrong said. “We’re getting a different style of player. We’re getting a consistent 20-goal scorer. Those are valuable in the league. We’re getting a big body that can play. His minutes are high. It’s a different style of player than T.J. We probably have more players in our group like T.J. and less like Troy. That’s probably the easiest way to explain it.”

Brouwer, like Oshie, voiced some shock over the trade, but said he’s looking forward to his new chapter as well and hopes the Blues will benefit from the move.

“I’m an honest player,” Brouwer said. “I’m a guy that works hard. I’ve got some skill, I can make some plays. I’ve been able to score some goals. But I’m a big-body power forward, I like to play in front of the net, in the corners, play a hard-nosed game, I’ll fight when I need to. I like to (think) I’m a pretty well-rounded player with the ability to score 20-25 — hopefully 30 — goals but still be able to finish my checks and be a very reliable guy.”

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