The St. Louis Blues caught some attention Sunday in protecting tough-guy Ryan Reaves as their 7th forward.

The Blues, though, were backed into a corner.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were among the clubs that planned to try to pursue a trade for Reaves through Vegas, TIOPS has learned.

Pittsburgh had their eye on the Blues situation for weeks and St. Louis believed the Penguins were going to be one of the teams front and center that would work out a trade for Reaves.

That scenario is now out of play with St. Louis protecting Reaves but now post expansion draft it’s still not out of the question that the Penguins make a run at Reaves this summer, a source reinterated on Thursday.

(Original story posted on Sunday June 18)