The Blues could learn from the defending Stanley Cup champions front office

Bleedin' Blue's Josh Berg argues that the St. Louis Blues should adopt the Carolina Hurricanes' innovative contract structure regarding trade protection. The defending champion Hurricanes recently signed forward Taylor Hall to a three-year deal worth $3.1 million annually featuring a unique condition: Hall must score 35 points in a season to maintain his full no-movement clause, or it converts to a 10-team no-trade clause the following year.

Berg contends this performance-based mechanism could have significantly aided the Blues with contracts like defenseman Cam Fowler's three-year, $6.1 million annual extension. While general manager Alexander Steen cannot alter existing deals, the writer suggests this strategy could offer valuable roster flexibility for future NHL negotiations.