July 23: St. Louis has officially announced the contract, confirming the details reported by CapFriendly yesterday.
July 22: The Blues have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed winger Nolan Stevens to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay $750K in the NHL and $100K in the minors.
The 25-year-old has spent the past three seasons in the minors after being a fifth-round pick of St. Louis back in 2016. This past season, he was loaned to Vancouver’s AHL affiliate as Springfield (the new affiliate of the Blues) was one of three teams to decide not to play. The change of scenery seemed to work well for Stevens as he picked up 18 points in 27 games with the Comets, finishing tied for third in team scoring as a result.
It’s likely that Stevens will once again be AHL-bound next season but if he can build off that performance and start out strong for the Thunderbirds, he could play his way into a recall at some point. He’ll need to play a regular role in St. Louis for 2021-22 for them to retain his RFA rights as if that doesn’t happen, he’ll be eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency next summer.
Huge
Pretty cool coincidence, when St. Louis agreed to send prospects to Utica he got to play with his brother this season. John assisted on Nolan’s goal on their mother’s birthday
Beyond that, his father John spent several seasons in Springfield as the last captain of the Indians and the first captain of the Falcons under Hartford affiliation, and Stevens’ older brother John Jr was *born* in Springfield. Both brothers also played college hockey in Massachusetts.