Are The Blues Shopping Kevin Shattenkirk?

Today's a day filled with speculation and rumors, which means that you can't believe crap that you read until something happens. So far the Blues have been linked with the Islanders and the Flyers, and nothing's materialized. This, though, this caught fans' attention ASAP.

I would NOT rule out possibility of Blues entertaining idea of trading Shattenkirk. He has 2 more years left on his deal at 4.25m AAV (1/2)

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 1, 2015

Shattenkirk will be due a substantial raise & it will be a lot of money allotted to a defense which already has Petro/Bouw signed long-term.

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 1, 2015

The Blues' best defenseman may be on the block due to salary considerations. Other than Vladimir Tarasenko and Jake Allen this year, the Blues will need to re-sign Jaden Schwartz and Dmitrij Jaskin next year. Presumably they will also work to keep David Backes from exploring the market. The season after that, the Blues will have to deal with Alexander Steen, T.J. Oshie (if he's not traded), and Patrik Berglund (same caveat). They will also have to retain Petteri Lindbohm, and re-sign Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk has two years left on his deal at $4.25 a year

That is a lot of money, yes. But they also signed Jori Lehtera to a nice three-year deal for not cheap today. They also have Jay Bouwmeester signed through 2018-2019 at $5.4 million a season.

The return for Shattenkirk will be more than the return for Bouwmeester. Would the Blues get pieces to replace that gaping hole on the blue line, though? That is the question that needs to be asked.

If Bouwmeester's production continues to drop, at his salary he is a prime target for a buyout. There are other options aside from trading Shattenkirk to make the cap work in the future.

If you factor in some of this off-season's moves, a Shattenkirk trade will probably result in a full-fledged fan mutiny regardless of who comes back in return. I know that isn't something that teams take into consideration when making deals, but it's a very real possibility for the Blues.

Do I think that he's being actively shopped? No. But he isn't untouchable, and on July 1st that is enough to send some shockwaves through the fanbase.

UPDATE:

Spoke w/Kevin Shattenkirk's agent Jordan Neumann who says there's no truth that Shattenkirk is being dealt.

— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) July 1, 2015