Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Some outlets are reporting that defending league scoring champion Martin St. Louis‘ days as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning might be numbered.
His comments in the Tampa Bay dresing room this morning hint that there is at least some truth to the rumor.
St Louis addresses trade rumors with brief answer "I've had conversations with Steve about my future with the team and I'll leave it at that
— Lightning Insider (@Erik_Erlendsson) February 26, 2014
and then just a little bit later:
Marty St. Louis has requested a trade from the #Lightning, Newsday confirmed.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) February 26, 2014
So, given the fact that St. Louis’ contract is expiring after next season, about the same time the anticipated contract extensions of Bobby Ryan, Jason Spezza, Clarke MacArthur and Marc Methot would kick in (should they re-sign), could St. Louis be the top 6 forward the Senators are missing?
Asking price would most likely be in the area of a player, a top level prospect and a decent draft pick, judging by the past trade deadline deals.
The contract St. Louis carries has a cap hit of $5.62M, but after an actual salary of $6.5M this year it drops to $5M next season. With the increased revenues available from the TV deals recently signed by the Senators and the NHL, he could be the perfect investment for a year.
He has also had some chemistry in the past with Cory Conacher (as brief as it was), and could be a fit for Jason Spezza and create another threat in the Senators’ offense. He has scoring championships, MVPs, Stanley Cups and most recently an Olympic Gold Medal to his credit, so he knows how to win.
He might not be the most affable person in the NHL to deal with, and he might have a chip on his shoulder against Ottawa for releasing him in the early part of his career, but it might be a good fit for the player as well at this point in his career. The Senators would have to convince him to waive his no-trade clause to come here even if Ottawa could work out a deal for him, but it is definitely something that Bryan Murray should at least be investigating.