The St. Louis Blues parted ways with their best player on Tuesday, when a trade with Edmonton sent former Hart Trophy- winning defenseman Chris Pronger to the Oilers in exchange for defensemen Eric Brewer, Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka.
The 30-year-old Pronger is widely considered the best overall defenseman in the National Hockey League when healthy.
In the 1999-2000 season, Pronger captured the league's Most Valuable Player as well as the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman. That year, he finished with 19 goals and 48 assists and led the league with a plus-52 rating.
Through 11 seasons with both the Hartford/Carolina franchise as well as the Blues, Pronger has totaled 94 goals, 306 assists, 1,098 penalty minutes and a career rating of plus-125.
Pronger also won a gold medal with Team Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was traded from the then-Hartford Whalers, who selected him second overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, to the Blues on July 27, 1995 in exchange for sniper Brendan Shanahan.
Brewer, 26, has played the last four seasons with Edmonton and was an All-Star in 2003. He has compiled 34 goals and 79 assists in six pro seasons.
"Eric Brewer has been a premier defenseman in the National Hockey League for the past several seasons and we are very excited about the talents he brings to the Blues," said general manager Larry Pleau.
Lynch and Woywitka are both highly-touted minor league players who have shown flashes of strong play with the Edmonton Road Runners and Philadelphia Phantoms, respectively.
"We are also adding two skilled younger defensemen who are clearly up-and- coming players at this level," Pleau continued. "We're looking forward to having all three of these players in our lineup together one day in the future." The Blues also lost their top scorer on Tuesday. Center Pavol Demitra agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings.
The Blues hold the record for making the playoffs a consecutive (roughly) 35 straight years and counting......It looks like that streak is going to end.
This really pisses me off.
Rock On,
:cursin: :cursin: :cursin:
The 30-year-old Pronger is widely considered the best overall defenseman in the National Hockey League when healthy.
In the 1999-2000 season, Pronger captured the league's Most Valuable Player as well as the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman. That year, he finished with 19 goals and 48 assists and led the league with a plus-52 rating.
Through 11 seasons with both the Hartford/Carolina franchise as well as the Blues, Pronger has totaled 94 goals, 306 assists, 1,098 penalty minutes and a career rating of plus-125.
Pronger also won a gold medal with Team Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was traded from the then-Hartford Whalers, who selected him second overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, to the Blues on July 27, 1995 in exchange for sniper Brendan Shanahan.
Brewer, 26, has played the last four seasons with Edmonton and was an All-Star in 2003. He has compiled 34 goals and 79 assists in six pro seasons.
"Eric Brewer has been a premier defenseman in the National Hockey League for the past several seasons and we are very excited about the talents he brings to the Blues," said general manager Larry Pleau.
Lynch and Woywitka are both highly-touted minor league players who have shown flashes of strong play with the Edmonton Road Runners and Philadelphia Phantoms, respectively.
"We are also adding two skilled younger defensemen who are clearly up-and- coming players at this level," Pleau continued. "We're looking forward to having all three of these players in our lineup together one day in the future." The Blues also lost their top scorer on Tuesday. Center Pavol Demitra agreed to terms on a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings.
The Blues hold the record for making the playoffs a consecutive (roughly) 35 straight years and counting......It looks like that streak is going to end.
This really pisses me off.
Rock On,
:cursin: :cursin: :cursin:
