May the Schwartz Be With Us

Jaden Schwartz will join the Blues in Chicago.

The Blues were silent during the trade deadline mainly due to the ongoing ownership fiasco, but on Monday they added a player without giving up a thing. The Blues first round pick in 2010 and 14th overall, Jaden Schwartz has signed a three-year entry level contract. He will join the team in Chicago today and be available to play in Tuesday's game.

So the questions for fans to ponder become: Will he play? How much will he play? How big of a contribution is the team expecting from him down the stretch and into the playoffs? Can he make an impact? Who sits? (This is not a good sign for the return of Steen and D'agostini.)

The decision of how much Schwartz will contribute will be in the hands of his almighty, Ken Hitchcock.

"Ken knows hockey, does his research," Blues' GM Doug Armstrong said. "He will make those decisions."

By rule, a player who signs a contract this year has to play in the NHL, so Schwartz will not be shipped to the minors. He will be with the Note for the rest of the season.

Schwartz, 19, lead Colorado College with 41 points in 30 games. Their season came to a surprising end Saturday when they were upset by Michigan Tech in the WCHA playoffs.

More impressively, he was named the captain of team Canada's 2012 World Junior team. A rarity considering he was a college sophomore playing in the United States.

Armstong said that scouts were very impressed with Schwartz's play and thought he was ready for the NHL. Taking in the fact that the Blues are injury depleted, they felt that signing him was a benefit for the team.

There is a good chance Blues fans will see the NHL debut of Jaden Schwartz Tuesday in Chicago.


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