Blues Acquire Montreal Defenseman Marco Scandella in Wake of Jay Bouwmeester Heart Issue
By Mark Powell
The Blues have placed defenseman Jay Bouwmeester on injured reserve after he went into cardiac arrest on the St. Louis bench last week. In response, they've added some depth at the position.
The Blues have acquired Montreal Canadiens defenseman Marco Scandella. While there's no way he can fill Bouwmeester's skates on his own, it's a start for a St. Louis team hoping to make another Stanley Cup Playoff run after winning it all last season.
TRADE ALERT! The Blues have acquired defenseman Marco Scandella from the Montreal Canadiens.
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 18, 2020
DETAILS: https://t.co/N7JPpFK7Xz pic.twitter.com/Jmmi3Kx5V4
Scandella is a depth defenseman, and a serviceable one at that. In 51 games this season (with both Montreal and Buffalo), Scandella's totaled 12 points and a plus-10 rating. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but he's stable enough in limited playing time to provide this beleaguered Blues unit with some crucial minutes.
? TRADE ALERT ?
— NHL News/Rumors (@puck_report2) February 18, 2020
The St. Louis Blues have acquired Marco Scandella from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2020 2nd Round Pick and a Conditional 2021 4th - transfers if STL re-signs him before 10/7/20, or they win 2 rounds AND he plays half the games. #StlBlues #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/M1ZTXy0LPg
Scandella has impressed in Montreal, enough so that the Blues felt the need to trade two draft picks for him just two months after the Canadiens acquired his services for merely a fourth rounder.