Quiet Trade Deadline Builds Team Confidence for Blues

The NHL trade deadline is hyped to be one of the more exciting days during the NHL season. Many fans are excited to see if their team is a buyer (looking to add skilled players) or seller (looking to rebuild and deal skilled players). 

The Blues came in to the trade deadline as one of the elite teams in the NHL and continued pressuring the Detroit Red Wings for the top spot in the Central division. 

So it was interesting to see if the Blues would make any moves the day of the deadline. They got started a little early by dealing prospect goalie Ben Bishop to Ottawa for a 2013 second-round draft pick. Bishop, who noticed the writing on the wall after the Blues signed all-star goalie Brian Elliot to a two-year extension, knew his days were numbered with the Blues, especially since he would be a free agent come the end of the season. He could remain with the Blues playing in the AHL or be traded somewhere in hopes of earning a backup or starting position in the NHL.

It was a good move for all involved. And it turned out to be the only one the Blues would make during the circus that is the trade deadline.

There are two ways to view this action by management. The Blues either dropped the ball on adding talent, or the more realistic scenario, the Blues are confident in the set of players they have. 

The latter reason not only serves as a major confidence booster to the current guys in the locker room for the Blues, but it should also bode well that management finally sees the team where they need to be.

In the last few years, there has been talk about players such as T.J. Oshie, Patrick Berglund and David Perron maturing to reach their potential. The talks now are those individuals making that push to the next level and providing a strong showing in the playoffs.

The Blues are a well-oiled machine right now and though they are struggling with scoring, you can't help but look at the injuries they are dealing with. If the Blues get Alex Steen back before the playoffs, then it will be just like an addition of a big name player from a trade—and you don't lose any key components.

The Blues should focus on a few things rolling in to the playoffs, which unless there is a meltdown of epic proportions, should be a sure shot for the fans of St. Louis this year.

The Blues need to finish as high in the standings as possible to gain the home ice advantage. Their record shows that if they get home ice, their chances of going deep in to the playoffs increase dramatically. It wouldn't hurt to continue to work on the powerplay as it has shown signs of life, but at times can be streaky. Build on top of that some successful road trips to finish the season out and the Blues can head in to the post season flying high.

The lack of moves during the trade deadline sends a message to the players that management is confident in who they have on the ice day-in and day-out. They feel like the team in place is the team that can win the Stanley Cup. Any player can tell you that that's a monstrous confidence booster. And though the fans would have loved to see a player like Rick Nash throw on a Blue Note, it would have been at a heavy expense of the rest of the lineup.

How do you think the Blues did at the trade deadline? Do you think their team is set as is or would you have liked to see some players added? Let me know in the comments below.