When the St. Louis Blues found out that their current AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, had been purchased by the Vegas Golden Knights, there was a feeling of here we go again. The Golden Knights had already pushed the Blues out of a partnership with the Chicago Wolves, though that relationship was already souring regardless.
Nightmare visions of Blues prospects scattering to the wind the way they did in 2017-18 began clouding the mind. Worries of goaltenders being relegated to third string roles on foreign franchises, ala Jordan Binnington in Providence, or potential top-six players relegated to a fourth line role flooded the brain.