The St. Louis Blues are set at the goaltending position with Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer. As a result, the Blues should consider trading a goaltender from their minor league system, Colten Ellis.
Blues Should Consider Trading Colten Ellis
Ellis Has Promise But No Spot on the Team
Ellis was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He ranked fifth among AHL goalies with a .924 save percentage last year in the American Hockey League. This season, Ellis has continued that success. He has posted a .921 save percentage to go along with a 2.62 goals against average.
Ellis appears ready for the NHL. However, the Blues do not have a spot for him on the roster. Binnington, the new all-time wins leader in Blues history, is under contract through the 2026-27 season. Hofer has shown in his first season and a half that he is more than capable of backing up Binnington. Furthermore, the Blues even game Hofer starts down the stretch of last season while the Blues were hunting for a playoff spot. The organization clearly has trust in the young Hofer, and an extension for him would make sense.
However, this does leave Ellis without a spot on the roster. While the Blues could keep him as a third goalie in case of injuries to Binnington or Hofer, the Blues have multiple other goalies in their organization who could fill that role. Ellis is ready for the NHL. The Blues have two choices. They can hang onto him just in case. On the other hand, they can take advantage of his value and trade him.
What the Past Tells Us About Trading Colten Ellis
It is important to understand that while Ellis does have value and is NHL ready, the fact he has not played in an NHL game yet means the Blues are not getting a sizable haul in return. Do not expect a first-round pick if the Blues decide to trade Ellis.
To help paint a better picture, we are going to turn the clock back to 2012. The Blues and general manager Doug Armstrong were in a similar boat with their goaltending situation. Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott were on their way to winning the Jennings Trophy and locked in as the Blues tandem for the next few seasons. In the minor leagues, Ben Bishop and Jake Allen were NHL ready. The Blues had a choice to make. They decided to trade Bishop at that year’s trade deadline. Unlike Ellis, Bishop did have a small sample size of NHL time. In return, the Blues got a second-round pick, who never ended up playing for the Blues. While the Blues did not obtain anyone of value, it made sense to trade someone who had no future with the team.
What we learn from this Bishop trade is, the Blues simply need to roll the dice and see what happens. The alternative is having a NHL-ready goaltender sit in the minor leagues and eventually leave the team when his contract is up. Why not trade Ellis now and get something in return? At least there is a chance that the return can become something great. If Ellis hits free agency and walks, the Blues will have gotten nothing despite having someone of value.
The Risk is Worth It
Not only is the risk worth it, but there is actually no risk at all. As we have already said, the alternative is Ellis leaving in free agency and the Blues get nothing. The Blues can only win if they trade Ellis. Think about when they traded David Rundblad and Eric Brewer. The Blue Note got draft picks in return. Who did they draft with those picks? Vladimir Tarasenko and Jordan Binnington. Two key members of the 2019 team that won the Stanley Cup. The trades at the time may not have seen like much, but it turned into franchise-altering players.
A trade for Ellis may or may not turn into a franchise-altering player. However, if there is no spot for him on the roster and he is NHL ready, why not take the risk? There are teams out there who would love to spend a low amount for NHL-ready goaltender.
Roll the dice, Doug Armstrong. The team cannot lose. They can only benefit.
Main Photo: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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