Doug Armstrong did what had to be done with the knowledge that Kevin Shattenkirk would not be returning to the St. Louis Blues next season.
Rather than lose the defenseman for nothing as an unrestricted free agent, the general manager sent Shattenkirk to the Washington Capitals for a first-round pick in 2017, a conditional pick at the 2019 NHL Draft, as well as forwards Zach Sanford and Brad Malone.
Armstrong: "We did what we thought was right for the St. Louis Blues moving forward." #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 28, 2017
"We said it last year in the summer, we were transitioning to a new group of players (and) this is a continuation of that," Armstrong added.
Indeed, the Blues are building around captain Alex Pietrangelo and young Colton Parayko - who will need a new deal this summer - on the blue line, and have parted ways with older forwards in lieu of fresh legs in recent years.
Quite simply, Shattenkirk's next deal would have proven difficult to fit under the salary cap and into the team's long-term plans.
In regards to the return, Armstrong said the market was set by the buyer.
"We talked to a lot of teams. The value of Kevin was dictated to us," he admitted," according to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports. "Sometimes the value of something you cherish isn't the value that other people have."
Earlier Tuesday, Capitals GM Brian MacLellan shed some light on the process and what St. Louis definitely wanted in return.
On Sanford “We spent a lot of time developing him… He’s a good player, a good person. We tried to steer away from him but Blues insisted."
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 28, 2017
Sanford, 22, has 11 goals in 25 games for the AHL's Hershey Bears in his first season as a pro.
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