If the Blues are going to have a fire sale, they need to keep a few things in mind.  First and foremost, a young team is not always the best thing.  Right now, the NHL roster in St. Louis Is composed of 8 rookies making regular contributions in playing time.  Of the remaining group, 12 are just now becoming regular contributors as they remain in the early stages of their careers.  That leaves a total of 9 guys that have played regularly for several years running.  Of those 9 remaining, 5 are likely to be traded off by Thursday.  These include Dallas Drake, Dean McAmmond, Eric Weinrich, Keith Tkachuk, and Patrick Lalime.

With only 9 seasoned veterans on the roster total, the question of who should stay and who should go becomes one of great concern to the development of the younger players.  Who can stay and help this team become a future powerhouse?  Where do these young guys need direction, and who would be most valuable to the Blues as a mentor? 

In no particular order, here is my breakdown of who the Blues can and cannot afford to lose:

1. Keith Tkachuk- Walt is by far the offensive monster on this team.  His numbers (12G, 15A) are comparable to the teams scoring leader, Scott Young (13G, 28A) despite playing in only 19 games thus far.  Young has appeared in 56 games.  Tkachuk’s  presence on this squad has lifted the morale to new heights in recent weeks, and having him in the press the past few weeks stating that he will reject anything but the perfect trade has done wonders for the team morale.  I don’t expect him to be anywhere but St. Louis come Friday morning, despite the heavy influx of rumors surrounding him. 
2. Dallas Drake-   I am going to reluctantly concede that Dallas may be a good choice to move this season, despite an enormous amount of respect that I have for the guy.  He was deserving of the chance to be the Captain of this team and I have been a fan of his since his early days in the NHL.  I still remember the day I opened up a pack of hockey cards and found a card featuring him in his University of Northern Michigan days.  I was ecstatic!  Drake’s contributions on this team have been tremendous, but nothing compares to his ability and willingness to block shots.  There was a joke going around early this season that Drake was blocking more shots than ex-starter Patrick Lalime.  The joke was more like a reality, but that is how good this guy is.  I compare Dallas to a fellow St. Louis athlete, David Eckstein for the Cardinals.  Both play with their heart on their sleeves, and because of that Dallas will be missed here in St. Louis.  However, Dallas will have the opportunity to play for a true Cup Contender, and in return the Blues may be able to acquire someone with a bit more scoring talent, or perhaps a younger 2-way forward that will chip in much the same way Drake has.  In his stead, Ryan Johnson has emerged as the shot blocking specialist.  Johnson plays with the same amount of courage and effort as Drake, and his wheels turn a bit quicker than Drake’s.  If Johnson weren’t doing the things he is doing this season, Drake not be an option for trade in my mind.
3. Dean McAmmond--  McAmmond hasn’t been the most impressive Blue this season, but he’s still been a contributor to the Blues’ offensive efforts.  With 29 points this season, he is the teams 3^rd leading scorer.  His efforts are not always 100% and the only thing that really impresses me about him is speed.  He is quick on a team not known for quickness.  When he’s in a groove he can be a contributing force, but he has rarely put together a multi-game run worth noting.  The only question for me in trading McAmmond is whether the Blues can get a formidable replacement.  With so many of the Peoria squad already in town, I question if there is anyone that can come up and make a difference that hasn’t already been called up.  Unless Pleau can get a reliable skater in return to fill out a 3^rd or 4^th line, trading McAmmond would be a mistake.
4. Eric Weinrich-  Weinrich is probably the best candidate for odd man out on the St. Louis roster.  He’s a solid defensive player, and his experience in this league makes him a valuable guy in the locker room.  Unfortunately, he is playing on a team full of defensive talent.  He’s possibly the slowest blue-liner on the team and he isn’t much help offensively.  At least, his numbers this season aren’t numbers that can’t and won’t be replaced by anyone playing the same position.  The one aspect of his game that may not be replaced by just anyone is the amount of time he spends on the ice per game.  He’s averaging 22:09 per game which puts him 3^rd on the team in ice time, second if you throw out Eric Brewer’s 23:28 before going on the IR.  None the less, Bryce Salvador could pick up some of the slack if he could remain healthy, and Kevin Dallman also could tighten the ropes a bit if needed.  The big question again would be what can Pleau get in return? 
5. Patrick Lalime-  No question Patrick Lalime was a bust this season.  At 3-11-5, he has been nothing but dead weight on this team and a big reason the team fell into an early hole that they still are trying to dig themselves out of.  In only 20 games, he has allowed 70 goals, just 8 fewer than Sanford who has played 36 games.  His save percentage stands at .872 with a GAA of 3.74.  There is no room for Lalime on this team, and unfortunately the problem with trading Lalime isn’t “who” Pleau can get for him but “if” Pleau can get anything.  Lalime has passed through waivers twice this season as he was sent to Peoria late last year.  With only one game played since returning to the NHL lineup, he hasn’t had much of a chance to prove himself and chances are that no one in this league is going to want to take on his salary with the way he has played this season.  I expect Lalime to get the start Tuesday night to give him the chance to make himself more attractive to another team looking for help in net.  If he has a stellar game, Pleau may just be able to find him a home and get him off the books for St. Louis.  On the other hand, the Blues may end up having to eat some of his salary just to get him out of town.  There will be no love lost however, if and when Patty is moved.  Rumors of Ottawa being interested are amusing, but I would expect Lalime to be coveted by a team like Phoenix that may be willing to swing a deal, providing the Blues are willing to take a bite out of his remaining salary.  Phoenix is most likely losing Joseph to the deadline and may decided to bring in a guy like Lalime that needs a home elsewhere. 

Blues sportswriter Andy Strickland has reported that no moves will be made prior to Tuesday (tomorrow).  I think we can all expect to seen Weinrich moved before the game tomorrow night.  Weino has prompted interest from several teams but his age will play against him.  Pleau most likely will take the best offer that he can get and he won't wait too long to make a decision.  His value will go down once the moves start happening league wide.  Common sense tells me Wednesday would be the earliest they would move Drake and McAmmond, as they will draw interest from teams looking to solidify their middle lines and fill in vacancies left to injury.  As for Lalime, he would almost HAVE to get the start Tuesday night if Pleau wants any chance at trading him off.  He just doesn't have any value right now to teams in need of solid goaltending.  If Walt is moved, I would think Thursday right before the deadline would be the only time we could expect to hear of it.  Tkachuk doesn’t want to go and Pleau will hold out until the best possible deal to even think about asking him to waive his no-trade clause.  Speculation on my own part has me asking whether Carolina might make an offer for Walt to replace injured winger Eric Cole.  With Weight already in Carolina, the duo would be an attractive pair to have heading into the playoffs.  I think of all moves, this would be one that Walt would actually entertain, despite his reluctance to leave St. Louis.  I don't know Walt personally, but one would think that winning a cup would be a deal maker, and joining an ex-teammate and good friend in the quest would certainly raise my eyebrows.  The question here would be who does Carolina have to offer that won't take away from their run for the cup?