Blues' future doesn't include Pronger

The team's pending sale was cited as one of the reasons St. Louis traded the standout defenseman.

ST. LOUIS -- The National Hockey League's new collective bargaining agreement, combined with the fact the St. Louis Blues are for sale, forced the team to trade cornerstone defenseman Chris Pronger to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Blues got defenseman Eric Brewer and two prospects for the former MVP, four-time All-Star and captain in the deal late Tuesday night. The Blues were able to keep the team payroll well below the salary cap maximum of $39 million. The team believes it'll be more attractive to potential buyers if it can minimize long-term commitments like the multiyear contract salary Pronger had been seeking.

Team president Mark Sauer has been with three professional sports franchise in the last nine years that were sold, including the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1990s.

"From that experience, I can promise you that the likelihood of a sale to qualified buyers who want to keep the team where it is, is hugely impacted by how few liabilities, long-term, are on the books," Sauer said. "I know it's tempting to play fantasy hockey and say this player or that player would certainly add to the value of the franchise."

Sauer said the team was in the early stages of the sale process.

"We're getting some interest, but I can't comment on how sincere the interest is," Sauer said. "We're waiting to see whether people graduate from tire kickers to legitimate interested parties."

General manager Larry Pleau said after a year off from hockey, the Blues will just have to win back their fan base without Pronger.

"We want to have a reality show, this is it," Pleau said. "This is what the hockey world is right now, and you know something, this is what the system is supposed to do."

The Blues will have a payroll around $34 million without Pronger, a restricted free agent who had received a $7.2 million qualifying offer from the team last week. He can be an unrestricted free agent next season, and the team wanted to get some value for him.

Pleau said it was difficult but necessary to cut ties with Pronger.

"Let's face it, who's a better defenseman in this game?" Pleau said. "He logged a lot of ice time, played hurt. I don't think we could have asked any more, and he's still got a lot of hockey in him."

Sauer said soon after the team went on the block, he knew Pronger would have to go. The team committed more than $13 million to forwards Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight, but those players would have received buyouts of about $11 million if the Blues decided to cut ties.

So, the Blues never even asked Pronger, 30, what kind of money he was seeking because he knew the team would not be able to negotiate. Pleau said the trade will allow the team to perhaps add a free-agent forward, but not at a high salary. He stressed the team also plans to count heavily on its AHL franchise in Peoria, Ill.

"Otherwise, we'll play our young kids that we have in Peoria, and we're going to play some of them anyway," Pleau said. "There's going to be a pretty good shuttle going back and forth; it's only 2 1/2 hours."

Brewer, 26, has played six seasons in the NHL, including the last four with Edmonton. He led the Oilers with nearly 25 minutes per game in 2003-04 and led Edmonton defensemen in scoring with 29 points while earning a spot in the 2003 NHL All-Star Game.

Pleau envisioned the other two defensemen prospects acquired in the trade, Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka, both landing at Peoria this season.

"We've got some guys ahead of them right now that we want to take a look at," Pleau said. He said he's keeping his mind open, but pointed out the young players would be playing defense. "It's a real tough position to learn in a short period of time."

Lynch, 22, appeared in two games with the Oilers in 2003-04, and played last season with the AHL's Edmonton Road Runners.

Woywitka, 21, played the last two seasons in the AHL with the Road Runners and the Philadelphia Phantoms.