St. Louis Blues scratch confirmed to be trade related.

The St. Louis Blues appear to be one of the most active teams on the National Hockey League trade market this season and by all accounts it appears to be a trend that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong intends to continue into the holiday roster freeze.

On Saturday night, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that Armstrong is once again looking to make a deal and this time there is a former two time Stanley Cup champion involved in the mix. Friedman reports that the Blues are looking to move on from the services of veteran forward Brandon Saad, with Friedman indicating that Armstrong would like to get a deal done sooner rather than later.

"The Blues made Brandon Saad a healthy scratch tonight," said Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada. "The Blues would like to move him, he's got a no trade clause, but I'm told that he's willing to consider some other options."

Saad, a former 30 goal scorer, has appeared in 27 games for the Blues this season but it appears that his time in St. Louis may be rapidly coming to a close. Saad has 4 goals and 6 assists for a total of 10 points over those 27 games and currently boasts a plus minus rating of -5.

Saad has a ton of NHL experience under his belt, including a pair of Stanley Cup championships as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, and the biggest obstable to finding a suitable trade for Armstrong and the Blues will be Saad's current contract. Not only does the veteran forward carry a significant cap hit of $4.5 million per season on his current deal, but he is currently only in the fourth year of a 5 year deal which means that he has one more season remaining on his deal beyond this current NHL season.

Stay tuned for more on what will no doubt be a rapidly developing situation with the NHL roster freeze rapidly approaching.