Ray Slover

First Mike Sillinger; now Doug Weight. What's next? Larry Pleau doing a Joe McGrath impersonation and calling teams to sell a bus, a used skate sharpener and all the pucks they can carry? Oops, he already is.

Sorry, that's a bit bitter. But that's exactly how most Blues fans see the trades of the past two days. Sillinger, the team's only true scoring threat, gets traded to a contender. Good for Sillinger, who deserves a chance to win. Too bad the Blues couldn't get more than one player, left winger Timofei Shishkanov, who at least is an AHL all-star.

The Blues made out somewhat better in dealing Weight to the Hurricanes, and Weight gets a chance to play for a contender. Weight fans can only hope the 'Canes will find him some players who can convert his passes into scoring chances. That's a luxury he never had in St. Louis.

If the Blues are serious about this fire sale, which they are, GM Larry Pleau must get maximum returns for his team. Jesse Boulerice brings nothing except fighting ability. Mike Zigomanis also is not a scorer. He had some decent AHL seasons, but Pleau should not be stocking AHL Peoria, the Blues' top affiliate. He should be stocking the Blues.

Magnus Kahnberg, who is playing in Sweden, shows some scoring touch. And Blues scouting guru Jarmo Kekalainen should have a book on him. In an evaluation on hockeysfuture.com, Kranberg is seen as a scoring left winger and rising star in the Swedish Elite League. He has solid skills but must get strong and improve his speed to make an impact in the NHL. So, we'll give the Blues a plus on his acquisition.

Plus, the Blues packed in some picks -- including a No. 1 in 2006. For a franchise that bled picks for years, this can only be a good move.

But a fire sale is a fire sale, and the Blues are now without their two centers. Weight and Sillinger were solid guys in the dressing room, and their influence will be missed. It's now up to young leaders to pick up the slack.

And Keith Tkachuk becomes the franchise's top star. He's almost ready to return from a busted knuckle, and when he does "Big Walt" must make an impact on the ice … and stay on the ice.

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Expect the Blues to trade again - maybe even Tkachuk, although he seems to be the veteran guy the franchise wants to build around. Geez, at least he can find the net and provide the wide body needed in front of the net. They'd be well served to find someone to take Petr Cajanek.

The future has arrived in St. Louis. Pleau's acquisitions are on the clock, and for the rest of the season the Blues will be an imitation of their AHL farm team. It's tryout time for any and all prospects.

Most fans haven't seen anything like this in St. Louis. Those of us who have must remind others that the last time this team was this bad, it recovered - briefly - and challenged the Islanders for first overall in 1980-81. Now much depends on getting the right buyers and management in place to continue this turnaround. The fire sale continues; the team sale must conclude as soon as possible.