It’s doubtful that St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was basing important decisions about the future of the franchise on the bounce of a puck Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. A game against the Los Angeles Kings was the Blues’ last before the NHL trade deadline at 2 p.

Having not won the Stanley Cup since 2014, are the Kings getting ready to acquire an offensive boost before the postseason starts?

A few weeks ago, it looked like the Blues would be sellers, their chances of qualifying for Stanley Cup Playoffs unlikely. But things have changed, and they are now among those jockeying for a postseason spot and hope to be kept together past the Deadline.