The St. Louis Blues continue to re-work their defense corps ahead of next season. With Alex Pietrangelo presumably gone and Torey Krug now in the fold, the team has now also added Steve Santini. The Blues have announced a one-year, two-way contract with Santini. Financial terms have not yet been disclosed.
Santini, 25, recently had the final year of his contract – initially signed with the New Jersey Devils – bought out by the Nashville Predators, making him a free agent. In one season with Nashville, Santini only appeared in two NHL games and played a very limited role. Most of the time he was buried in the minors, where he was a solid defensive presence but failed to produce much offense.
In St. Louis, Santini currently looks like the No. 8 or 9 option on a deep unit. The two-way nature of his contract suggests that the Blues intend to send Santini back to the AHL, but he could be one of the first recalls in the event of an injury. With some older defenseman ahead of him who play physical games and could be at an injury risk, such as Carl Gunnarsson and Robert Bortuzzo, Santini could have the opportunity to step in as a substitute.