On March 21st, it appeared Doug Armstrong had a mission for the Blues: bolster the Blues’ defense. Fans were hard pressed to disagree; the defense has been inconsistent at best this season, and a long playoff run is very much contingent upon the team clicking at all levels.
Armstrong dealt Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Walman to the Detroit Red Wings for Nick Leddy and depth defenseman Luke Witkowski. Leddy has a reputation of being a solid and effective defenseman, especially going back to his tenure with both the Blackhawks and Islanders. His tenure with the Red Wings, however, had not been as successful.