ST. LOUIS – According to several sources, including TSN’s Bob McKenzie and Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Blues defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk is said to have vetoed a 7-year, $42 million deal.
The 28-year-old pending free agent, it is reported, was likely to have been involved in a trade with an Eastern Conference franchise, speculated to be the Tampa Bay Lightning. The deal would have sent Shattenkirk to Tampa in exchange for a high-value return, however, it is unclear which asset(s) St. Louis would have acquired in the deal.
The Blues and GM Doug Armstrong have been working to move their highly sought-after point producing d-man for some time. Shattenkirk turned down a contract that would have sent him to the Edmonton Oilers last summer (June 2016).
For St. Louis, the goal is to acquire a higher-value return ahead of the March 1 NHL trade deadline, but in order to do so, Shattenkirk would need to agree to an extension with another franchise. Shopping the defensemen as a “rental” or allowing him to enter free agency at the end of the season would yield a less profitable situation for the St. Louis Blues.
Shattenkirk has produced 42 points (11 G, 31 A) in 60 games this season for St. Louis.
