Blues Asked About Brady Tkachuk, But He Didn't Want to Play in St. Louis

The St. Louis Blues wanted to trade for Brady Tkachuk, but they never had a chance. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said Monday that the team reached out to the Ottawa Senators about acquiring the star forward. But Tkachuk, 26, did not include St. Louis on his list of teams he would agree to join. In the end, Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers — the same team his older brother Matthew plays for.

This is the second time in four years that a Tkachuk brother has ended up in Florida instead of St. Louis. In 2022, Matthew Tkachuk was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Panthers. This time, Brady forced his way off the Senators and joined his older brother in the Sunshine State. Both moves left Blues fans asking why neither brother chose their hometown team.

The Tkachuk family has deep roots in St. Louis. Their father, Keith Tkachuk, is a future Hall of Fame player who wore the Blues' uniform for many years. Keith also works for the Blues organization today. Because of that connection, many fans hoped Brady might want to play in the city where he grew up.

Armstrong said Brady gave the Senators a list of only four teams he would accept a trade to. Those teams were Florida, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Minnesota Wild. The Blues were not on that list. "You can't create something that's not there," Armstrong said.

Armstrong was also asked if he was disappointed that St. Louis wasn't on Tkachuk's list. He said it didn't matter to him. However, he spent a lot of time at his press conference talking about a bigger trend happening across the NHL. More and more star players are choosing where they want to play, and they often pick warm cities with no state income tax and winning teams.

To explain his point, Armstrong brought up a story about basketball legend Michael Jordan. Armstrong said Jordan once talked about how he never wanted to team up with other stars — he wanted to beat them. Armstrong believes that attitude has changed in today's sports world. Now, many star players would rather join forces with other top players than compete against them. "We're seeing that in our sport now, too," Armstrong said.

Armstrong was not angry at players for making these choices. He was simply pointing out that the NHL has caught up with other pro sports leagues, where this kind of player movement has been common for years. He noted that Carolina wasn't always on players' wish lists, but the Hurricanes worked hard to become a winning team — and now top players want to go there. "They're on the list now because they've done a hell of a job and they're a good team," he said.

Armstrong believes the Blues need to do the same thing. He said St. Louis has to become a winning team before star players will want to come there. "When we get to the level where we're competitive, then St. Louis will sell itself," he said. He pointed to the Minnesota Wild as an example. GM Bill Guerin built Minnesota into a strong team, and that helped attract star defenseman Quinn Hughes in a big trade.

The Blues are focused on building for the future, not making quick deals. Armstrong said any trades the team makes will be for players they can build around for three or more years. He and incoming GM Alexander Steen are working together every day toward that goal. The team wants to lay a strong foundation — just like they did during their run to the Stanley Cup championship in 2019.