As per TSN's fantastic reporter (well, he is right now because of what he tweeted), Jaroslav Halak has been traded to the Blues. Yes, you read that correctly. The latest Patrick Roy du jour of the Montreal Canadiens is now our newest actual real starting goaltender. In case you've forgotten, that hasn't been the case since Grant Fuhr.
Halak was the cornerstone of the Habs' push through the playoffs, being a virtual wall throughout their three series. Despite being eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals, Halak still finished the playoffs as the top goalie in terms of SV% at .923. During the regular season he finished with a 2.40 GAA and a .924 SV%.
I would say that I hope that Montreal knew what they were doing, but I frankly don't care.
In return, the Blues ship back Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. While I am upset to see a prospect like Eller go, the Blues were in dire need of a solid starting goaltender. Chris Mason put up solid numbers for us in net, but his propensity for softies and the occasional wonky move, he also became a lightning rod of derision. This gives St. Louis a solid starter in net, one of the best back-ups in the league, and a good and growing defensive corps. Remember those blown couple goal leads and one goal losses that kept us out of the playoffs? There's hope now that's a thing of the past.