St. Louis Blues trade rumors: Is Steve Ott "interesting" enough to trade for?

Jeff Gordon recently mentioned that the Blues've been scouting the Sabres. "Oooh, Ryan Miller intrigue!" you might say. Hold your horses. Gordon mentions Miller, but he's not the only Sabre that the Blues may be looking at.

There's another pending UFA there.

No, not Matt Moulson. The other one.

Yup. That guy. Steve Ott.

From Gordon's article, this is what Sabres GM Tim Murray had to say about Ott. If you're drinking something, put it down. Don't take a sip.

"Steve Ott is the type of player that I’ve looked for for 21 years in drafting . . . That’s not the type of player I want to trade away. That’s the type of player that I want to bring in. Unfortunately, when I got here, he’s at his age and he’s an unrestricted free agent. ... We’re not a playoff team, so that changes the dynamic, obviously."

Good lord. Steve Ott hasn't exactly won Blues fans over during his time with the Dallas Stars; he's the kind of player that people characterize as one of those guys that you hate when he's playing against you, and love when he's playing for you. I'm not really sure that I could buy that with Ott.

Emotional reaction aside, where would the Blues utilize the center? Who is he an upgrade over, Sobotka? Ott's FO% is 52.1%; Sobotka's is 60.9%.

I'm unsure of why the Blues'd be kicking the tires on Ott, practically speaking. He's not an upgrade, he's not anything. He's Steve Ott.