The St. Louis Blues are taking care of business. After extending Sammy Blais yesterday, the team has announced another new contract, this time for Marco Scandella. The veteran defenseman has signed a four-year extension that will carry an average annual value of $3.275MM. Scandella was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens earlier this year.
Because of the extension, the Canadiens will receive an additional draft pick—the Blues’ 2021 fourth-round selection—from the trade to go with the original 2020 second-round pick St. Louis gave up. That deal came just a few weeks after sending a 2020 fourth-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for Scandella, making this flip quite the impressive transaction for Montreal GM Marc Bergevin.
Scandella, 30, is coming off a five-year, $20MM deal he signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2014. At that point he was considered a rock-solid defensive partner that could play in a lot of situations, but his stock fell considerably over the last few years in Buffalo. In St. Louis, that kind of stay-at-home presence is exactly what will be asked of him after he spent most of his short stint alongside young star Colton Parayko. At a $3.275MM cap hit he essentially replaces Jay Bouwmeester, who is still contemplating his playing future after his cardiac episode but is scheduled for unrestricted free agency.
Any extension for a defenseman in St. Louis will come with other questions though, as free agency also looms for captain Alex Pietrangelo. The team now has five NHL defensemen locked up through next season, for a total of more than $18MM. Pietrangelo would increase that total quite substantially, something that might not be possible given the expected salary cap stagnation coming from the current pause.
Between Faulk and Scandella, the writing seems to be on the wall for Pietrangelo.
I’ve long thought that he was waiting for Toronto and that Toronto was waiting for him (which is why they acquired UFA’s in Barrie and Ceci).
They dump Barrie and Ceci , they may be able to get Pietrangelo
We need dmen yes but with marner,Tavares,Matthews and nylander making half the cap which isn’t going to go up much for the next several years we can’t afford pietrangelo as nice as it would be
He’s not signing with the leafs unless they unload one of the big 3. Can’t sign a another 9+ million contract. Also with holl and muzzin getting significant raises along with cap staying flat leafs currently are already right up against the cap next year
Ya like I said
Petro not going anywhere
@mbart33 – Let’s hope not, but unless Doug Armstrong plans on using a buyout on Faulk, the possible cap carnage could push Alex out. I, for one (of many) wouldn’t be real happy with that outcome. Alex is one of the few guys who wouldn’t just look wrong in another sweater, it would look *really* wrong. He is one of the few in the history of the franchise that should never be dealt — ever. He bleeds the Blue Note and truly is “St. Louis Blues Hockey”, as uttered by Kerbs, the legendary Kenny Wilson, and, of course uber STL legend, my all-time fave, the late Dan Kelly!
Agree. He lives in St Louis and they will keep their captain.