So just how did the deal between Dave Checketts and St. Louis Blues owner Bill Laurie go from a slam-dunk to an air ball?

Is Dave Checketts officially out?

That's the 140 million dollar question St. Louis Blues fans want to know. Has Dave Checketts backed off? Yes.

The fact that Dave Checketts is no longer negotiating under an exclusive agreement with the St. Louis Blues organization has opened the door for other local individuals to jump back in the picture.

One local person met with Blues officials this past weekend. Blues President Mark Sauer was not involved in the meeting as he was with the club in Nashville.

Some local people that expressed serious interest in past weeks told me they would not even come close to negotiating the dollar amount the Checketts group and Laurie have been discussing. The fact that the club will continue to lose money this season and next-not to mention the repair job necessary to get the organization back on its feet from a roster standpoint- has scared some local individuals away.

The possibility remains that Checketts will jump back in if Laurie is willing to come down on his asking price. Of all the people that have expressed interest in purchasing the Blues, Checketts is far and away the most qualified. Checketts has extensive experience with the NHL and has quality relationships with the people that matter in the league. In my opinion this was a no brainer for Laurie to sell to Checketts. According to people close to the Checketts camp Lauries hardball approach potentially has cost him in the end.

Checketts is not in a desperate situation. He has several other business interests and can just move on to his next venture.

The longer Laurie holds on to the Blues the situation will only worsen. Obviously Laurie will continue to lose money the longer he hangs on to the disgruntled franchise. The NHL Board of Governors must approve the sale of the team. The BOG will meet in December, which leaves Laurie with a very small window to get a deal done. Many believe some of the potential local buyers would struggle getting approved by the NHL.

Fans have been holding out hope that a deal would get done, and the club would in turn get back on its feet. What does Laurie tell the fans if he doesn't strike a deal? Will he let the current situation continue for the remainder of the season? Laurie wants out of the spotlight, there is only one way to achieve that. How does Laurie face Blues head coach Mike Kitchen and the rest of the team if the club has to endure the current situation for the remainder of the season?

With that being said, the team can play better, has to play better, and it is unfair to pin the current losing streak solely on the owner.

The comments made by Broadcaster John Davidson during the second intermission of Hockey Night In Canada has irked former Blue and current radio color commentator Kelly Chase.

Davidson was reporting how Dave Checketts was backing away from purchasing the St. Louis Blues. Davidson went on to say a different group was getting involved that is a friend of Kelly Chase. And wouldn't it be interesting if Kelly got involved in some way with the St. Louis Blues.

Chase told me Sunday night that he has no idea where the negotiations are, and is in no way a part of any group attempting to purchase the club. Chase went on to say if Davidson would have called him and asked Chase he would have told him the same thing. Chase went on to say "Davidson is closer to the situation than I am."

Davidson was referring to local businessman Tony Sansone Jr. Chase said he has nothing to do with Sansone Jr.'s intention of purchasing the St. Louis Blues.

Several sources have confirmed with me that Davidson will likely be involved with the St. Louis Blues if Checketts does end up hammering out a deal to buy the Blues and the Savvis Center lease.

More to Come,

Andy Strickland