Shattenkirk hopes Blues trade him soon: report

Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk expects to be traded by the St. Louis Blues, and his agent said Shattenkirk would prefer it be done soon.
"I would say at this point, Kevin and I do think it is inevitable that he ultimately will get traded," agent Jordan Neumann told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in remarks published Tuesday. "So with that in mind, I guess any player in that situation would certainly hope it would be sooner rather than later."

Shattenkirk, 27, can become an unrestricted free agent after next season and the Blues are not expected to re-sign him. St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong has been trying to get something in a trade rather than lose him for nothing.
"Doug inferred that Kevin probably wouldn't be re-signing there beyond next season, and therefore he thought it was in both our best interests and the Blues' best interests that he pursue a trade," Neumann told reporter Jeremy Rutherford. "I would say that neither Kevin nor I was surprised. I think we all kind of saw it coming."

It was thought Shattenkirk would be traded at the 2016 NHL Draft last weekend, but he was not.
"Maybe my asking price is too high or maybe I value him higher than other people," Armstrong said at the draft. "But I haven't been anywhere close to what I think is representative of the value of Kevin Shattenkirk."
Shattenkirk will make $5.2 million in the final season of a four-year, $17 million contract ($4.25 million NHL salary-cap charge), according to General Fanager.
He had 14 goals and 44 points in 72 games this season, his third straight season with at least that many points.