NHL Rumors: Latest on Kevin Shattenkirk, Patrick Sharp and More

Trade talk has been one of the dominant themes in St. Louis over the past several weeks, as it seems the other shoe is dropping as a result of the team's recent playoff failures.

The Blues are bringing head coach Ken Hitchcock back for another season behind the bench, but the team may not look the same in 2015-16 as a result of trades. On Thursday, the Blues traded high-profile winger T.J. Oshie to the Washington Capitals for Troy Brouwer, minor league goalie Phoenix Copley and a 2016 draft pick. Meanwhile, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk continues to draw attention on the trade front.

Jeremy Rutherford of St. Louis Today said interest in the player is coming from Edmonton, Columbus and Philadelphia. 

Jordan Neumann is Shattenkirk's agent, and he said the reports of a trade possibility for his client "are not true," per Rutherford's article.

Shattenkirk is coming off a solid season, in which he scored eight goals and 44 points and also registered a plus-19 rating. He played in just 56 games, as he missed time with an abdominal injury.

The Blues may be willing to trade Shattenkirk because defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester have long-term contracts and Shattenkirk has two more seasons to go on a four-year, $17 million deal. Those two seasons could be quite attractive to a team that needs a productive, veteran defenseman.

In addition to Shattenkirk, the Blues may consider moving Patrik Berglund and David Backes.

If the Blues are ever going to find success in the playoffs, it seems likely they will have to find a way to get past the Chicago Blackhawks. But the team that won the 2015 Stanley Cup will almost certainly have a different look in 2015-16 than it did when it celebrated at the United Center following its victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the most recent Stanley Cup Final.

The Blackhawks traded Brandon Saad to Columbus on Tuesday, and additional moves will be needed to make sure the team is at or below the $71.4 million salary cap by the time the season gets underway in October.

John Raoux/Associated Press

Patrick Sharp continues to be the subject of trade rumors. Blackhawks beat reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times Mark Lazerus tweeted that sources had told him the Boston Bruins were among the teams interested in Sharp but that the signing of free-agent forward Matt Beleskey of Anaheim may have curtailed that interest.

However, his tweet also mentioned that the Flyers, New York Islanders and Florida Panthers are interested in the 33-year-old forward.

Sharp missed 14 games as a result of injuries last season, and he was held to 16 goals. However, Sharp had scored 33 goals or more in the three previous non-lockout seasons and has been one of the team's best snipers.

The Blackhawks signed superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to long contract extensions last summer, and those eight-year, $84 million deals kick in during the 2015-16 season. Those contracts are forcing general manager Stan Bowman to take corrective action with the rest of the roster.

The Islanders, who are reportedly considering making a move for Sharp, have a player of their own getting some attention on the trade front.

According to Arthur Staple of Newsday, the Toronto Maple Leafs have an interest in speedster Michael Grabner.

The 27-year-old winger scored 34 goals in the 2010-11 season, but his goals total has gone down dramatically in each of the last four seasons. Despite that, Grabner's explosive speed is looked at as a weapon around the NHL, and new Toronto head coach Mike Babcock may be interested in harnessing that talent.