from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

Jobs in St. Louis depend on a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the Blues’ scoring concerns are real - particularly in the postseason - and general manager Doug Armstrong has an opportunity to deal from a position of depth. With the Blues, Shattenkirk is a No. 2 pairing defenceman behind fellow right-shot Alex Pietrangelo. Shattenkirk’s next contract is looming large. Sound familiar?

Unlike (Seth) Jones, whose stock remained consistently high, the sense is Shattenkirk - a former Olympian and one of the best puck-moving defencemen in the league - is underappreciated in St. Louis. Jay Bouwmeester’s injury has skewed the data recently, but eyebrows were raised last Thursday when Shattenkirk played just 17:37 in an overtime loss at Colorado.

Shattenkirk is producing at an All-Star level this season. He is on pace for a career-best 52 points and he’s managed nine points at even strength while his three most common partners are Joel Edmundson, Carl Gunnarsson and Petteri Lindbohm, according to hockeyviz.com. Nagging injuries - groin this year, abdominal surgery last season - have kept the buzz around his game to a relatively low level.

Shattenkirk has one more season left at a manageable $4.25 million. It’s unlikely that the budget-conscious Blues will ultimately sign Shattenkirk to a new deal with a higher AAV than Pietrangelo’s $6.5 million, which is Shattenkirk’s market value.

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