Armstrong, Blues prepare for trade deadline

Whether he makes any major moves or not, the next few days will likely be busy for St. Louis Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong and his hockey operations staff as the group evaluates their team and options ahead of the NHL's Trade Deadline.
All deals League-wide must be finalized before Monday, March 21 at 2 p.m. CT.
That gives Armstrong just a few more days - and only two games - to decide whether outside help might give his club a better chance to win another championship or if the team is a serious contender as-is.

"You look at your team and you're always trying to improve it, whether it's short-term or long-term," Armstrong told stlouisblues.com.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Blues sat in second place in a tight Central Division - just two points ahead of the third-place Nashville Predators (74) and four points ahead of the fourth-place Minnesota Wild (72). St. Louis is certainly in a good spot with a 34-17-8 record as the season gears up for it's final stretch, but by no means are they in position to get comfortable. The Vegas Golden Knights, who hold the final Wild Card position in the Western Conference, are just eight points - or four wins - behind the Blues.
As with any trade deadline, there never is much certainty. But Armstrong has proven time and time again that he won't make a deal just for the sake of making one.
"We're always looking, but we also have to work under a business framework, so whatever deals we could make would have to fit into that plan," Armstrong added.
Recent deadlines have not seen a ton of activity from the Blues - at least not in comparison to the League-wide frenzy that has characterized this time of year in recent seasons.
In 2021, Armstrong and the Blues stood pat.
In 2020, Armstrong's only move was to send a second-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Marco Scandella days before the deadline.
In 2019 - the year the Blues went on their historic run and captured their first Stanley Cup championship - Armstrong made only a depth move at defense by acquiring Michael Del Zotto from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.
"You don't know what's going to happen," said Blues Head Coach Craig Berube. "Things happen, you try to improve your team or maybe you stand pat. My job is just to get the team ready to play the next game, that's it. The deadline will come and it will go. Maybe something happens and maybe it doesn't.
"I like our team, I do," Berube added. "We have an ability to score goals in different ways, special teams have been good, our goaltending has been solid. We've got a lot of good pieces."
What will this year's trade deadline have in store for the Blues?
We'll have to wait and see.