T.J. Oshie had always heard Boston or Ottawa. The trade speculation had become so pervasive that the St. Louis winger decided to make light of it, pranking his then-fiancée that he’d been dealt and they’d be moving.
At the NHL draft in June, Oshie heard there was a 95 percent chance the Blues would ship him to a new team. When that passed, Oshie handicapped it at 50-50 and decided to bury his head in the sand.
Oshie had spent his seven-year career in St. Louis. He saw the team go from missing the playoffs two of his first three seasons to making the postseason every year, but failing to get over the hump.