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Hey, what’s the deal with Chris Stewart?

St Louis Blues v Phoenix Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - MARCH 25: Chris Stewart #25 of the St Louis Blues warms up before the NHL game against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena on March 25, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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When Colorado traded Chris Stewart to St. Louis early last year, many wondered how the Avs could part with a 23-year-old power forward that was coming off a 28-goal season.

At the time of the trade – which sent Erik Johnson, Jay McClement and a first-round pick to Colorado, with Kevin Shattenkirk and a second-rounder also going to St. Louis – Stewart had 13 goals and 17 assists in 36 games, so it’s not like his production had fallen way off or anything.

Avalanche GM Greg Sherman sold the move by focusing on Johnson, the former first overall pick that Sherman called “a top young defenseman in this league, a player who will have an impact on our blue-line for several years to come.”

But Johnson had yet to make a huge impact in the NHL, and at the time many thought Sherman got the short end of the stick.

These days, people are starting to wonder if Sherman made the right call on Stewart.

Johnson still isn’t a Norris contender, and maybe he never will be. But he’s coming off a better year than Stewart, who scored just 15 times during the regular season and barely played more than 10 minutes per game in the playoffs, when he was playing at all.

From today’s Post-Dispatch:

Stewart’s conditioning came into question during the season, and in the playoffs, the 6-foot-2, 232-pound winger was a healthy scratch twice. He pledged Tuesday that he will work this offseason with Toronto-based strength and conditioning coach Matt Nichol.

Then there were was this tidbit in Elliotte Friedman’s “30 thoughts” column:

15. Colorado didn’t create a market for Chris Stewart before trading him to St. Louis, and teams were disappointed they didn’t get a chance at a strong, right-shooting scorer. Not long after the deal, I asked a member of the organization about letting him go. All he said was, “We have our reasons.” That was it. No further explanation, no shot at his character. Just that.

In fairness to Stewart, playing for a defense-first coach like Ken Hitchcock can’t have helped his numbers. The Blues’ co-leading scorers, David Backes and TJ Oshie, finished with just 54 points each. Running and gunning isn’t what Hitchcock’s teams are about.

Stewart is a pending restricted free agent that earned $3.25 million this season.

How that contract negotiation goes could be worth watching.