Blues committed highway robbery trading Paul Stastny to Winnipeg

In a blockbuster, the St. Louis Blues trade Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets for a first-round pick.

In a move that comes out of nowhere, the St. Louis Blues have traded Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets. Here are the full details from the St. Louis Blues official Twitter account:

The Blues will retain 50 percent of Stastny’s salary. The 32-year-old forward is owed $7 million for the rest of this season. He will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. He waved his no-trade-clause for this deal to go through.

Stastny’s name was nowhere to be found in the rumor mill, despite the Blues falling out of the playoff race in recent weeks. This trade not only comes out of the blue because it involves Stastny, but because it involves the Jets.

Winnipeg typically sits back and does most of their damage in the offseason, but this move signifies that they are loading up for this season. The Jets are currently two points behind the Nashville Predators for first in the Central.

Stastny has 40 points in 63 games this season. He scored 40 points in 66 games for the Blues last year. He has 35 points in 55 career playoff games.

This is a steep price to pay for Stastny, but the first-round pick should be in the late 20’s. Erik Foley is a 20-year-old forward currently playing at Providence College where he has 34 points in 32 games.

The Blues are typically looking for ways to improve their team at the trade deadline. This deal looks to set realistic expectations for the club moving forward as they don’t believe they have a real shot at the Stanley Cup this season. It’s possible that the Blues move other veteran players by the deadline.

Next: NHL Trade Deadline 2018: Rumors and deals tracker

With Nashville acquiring Ryan Hartman, this is a direct response for Winnipeg. And a big one at that.