Talkin' Trades: pondering Tkachuk's return to The Hub

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Feb 25, 2009 11:48 AM EST

Tkachuk_medium

Keith Tkachuk

#7 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-2

Weight: 232

Born: Mar 28, 1972

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Keith Tkachuk	58	18	17	35	-11	41	11	0	3	0	136	13.2

Chiarelli's Checklist

Get bigger ✓

Forward with a left-handed shot ✓

Veteran presence ✓

The rumors about Keith Tkachuk getting moved at the deadline have been swirling despite the fact that he has a no trade clause and the Blues are currently only 5 points out of playoff contention in the hotly contested Western Conference. Boston has been one of the most rumored destinations for Keith Tkachuk. If Tkachuk were to waive his NTC you would think that it might be for a chance to win a Cup with his hometown team. Some have speculated that the former BU and Malden Catholic standout wants to return to Boston more than the Bruins want him. Let's not forget that the Bruins and Blues have been trade partners at the deadline before.

Pros
- Definitive "power forward"
- Can play LW or C (better suited for the wing though)
- Doesn't hurt to have another veteran in the room come playoff time
- The added incentive of trying to win his first Stanley Cup in his hometown
- Has a nose for the net
- Playoff experience (85 career playoff games)

Cons
- $4.5 million salary (cap hit of $4 million)
- Not as quick as he once was
- How much gas does he have left in the tank?
- "will take bad penalties from time to time" - The Hockey News
- Can B's fans handle 2 players with last names that start with a silent letter?
- How much young talent would the B's have to give up to rent Tkachuk for the playoff run?

Brad from St. Louis Game Time on the potential of Tkachuk coming to Boston:

Keith Tkachuk, the Melrose, Mass. native, got off to a great start this season. He scored eight goals in the first eight games of the year. He now has 18 on the season. He's still effective on the power play with 11 of his tallies coming on special teams. Taking up space, deflecting shots, screening the goaltender and banging home loose pucks are how Tkachuk has made his living this season.

If you like the plus/minus stat, he's not your guy. And for long stretches of the season he's been played out of position for a large, 36-year-old forward. Due to injuries, Tkachuk has played several games at center, a young-man's position that requires a lot more skating.

The bottom line is Tkachuk has never made the Stanley Cup Final. He's an unrestricted free agent come this summer, but has a no trade clause. A move to Boston would make sense, and I would doubt he would approve a trade to a borderline playoff team. He did that in Atlanta a few season ago and it didn't end well.

Tkachuk calls St. Louis his home, living here in the off season. But he still has strong ties to Boston with family there. He was actually heckled in 2004 for wearing Red Sox gear to World Series games...sitting in his St. Louis Cardinals season ticket seats. Big Walt has said he will retire here and hasn't guaranteed that he will angle for a new contract this summer with any team. So it's hard to predict what he will want to do and what the Blues will do, currently five points out of the playoffs with more than 20 games to play as I write this.

For more 2009 NHL Trade Deadline coverage, check out SB Nation NHL Trade Deadline Hub:

Tweet Comment 8 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Blues fan here.

Wanted to add that Tkachuk even appeared on the local news showing off his Red Sox stuff in his home during the World Series; he mentioned that he traded his Cardinals dugout season tickets for tickets above the visiting Red Sox dugout. Just FYI.

by cold on Feb 25, 2009 2:28 PM EST reply actions

I’m trying to figure out how the Sun thinks the “interest might not be mutual”. IMO, the Bruins are clearly going to be interested in Tkachuk as he provides scoring depth, veteran presence, toughness and a left-handed shot on the power play.

His cap hit is irrelevant with Sturm on IR (unless of course they trade for another big-dollar player), so the only question is whether it’s worth the price for a rental. If Chiarelli can get him without losing a key player, I’d say it’s worth pulling the trigger.

by bostonblueline.blogspot.com on Feb 25, 2009 3:28 PM EST reply actions

I realize that Sturm’s injury has freed up some cap space, but the cap hit is always relevant especially if they want to bring in a defenseman as well. I think the Bruins might be better served by trying to get Antropov and Leopold than gettting Tkachuk. Tkachuk would be a great story and all but is he worth giving up young talent for?

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Feb 25, 2009 3:48 PM EST up reply actions

Chowder didn't include from my e-mail

a proposed Tkachuk for Wideman swap. Seems only fair. The Blues would even throw in Hannu Toivonen as well. They are just that generous.

www.stlouisgametime.com

by Brad Lee on Feb 25, 2009 4:07 PM EST reply actions

It depends on what the Blues are asking for. It would seem that the asking price for Antropov would be MUCH higher than for Tkachuk, considering Antropov is a legit top-6 forward playing for a team just going into the rebuilding process. Brian Burke is savvy and will probably parlay that into a first-round pick or a roster player with a favorable contract. Considering Antropov’s bargain contract, there ought to be a lot of interest around him and possibly a bidding war.

Tkachuk, on the other hand, has a contract twice the size of Antropov’s, is a much lower-impact player, and has expressed an interest to play in Boston specifically. That puts the Bruins in a pretty good place when negotiating a deal — I think they could get him for a second-round pick or possibly a non-roster prospect. I would trade Sobotka for Tkachuk in a heartbeat, considering the stakes this postseason.

IMO, Leopold is a red herring. He’s injured all the time and has never actually become that top-pairing defenseman he was supposed to be. I smell “scam” when his name comes up in trade rumors.

by bostonblueline.blogspot.com on Feb 25, 2009 4:15 PM EST reply actions

Good analysis. See, this is what the B’s Blogosphere would have been missing if you stopped writing.

I still think that the B’s need a d-man that can move the puck better. The B’s have trouble when teams throw an agressive forecheck at them.

Ideally, the Bruins would like to get both a winger and a d-man, but that might not happen. It will be interesting to see what moves PC makes (or doesn’t make).

by Stanley Cup of Chowder on Feb 25, 2009 4:26 PM EST up reply actions

Who needs to trade when we have the goal-scoring machine that is… Mark Stuart?!? j/k

I agree the biggest need is an offensive-minded defenseman, just not sure how many are available at a reasonable price. It would be nice if there was a Hunwick-type guy out there who could play defense and maybe move down to the wing on the 2nd-unit PP. But with Chara and Wideman having outstanding seasons and Ference looking capable enough, it might be better to just hold our cards rather than going after a guy like Leopold who might-or-might-not blow out an ankle in the first round of the playoffs.

by bostonblueline.blogspot.com on Feb 26, 2009 12:48 PM EST reply actions