The Blues re-signed goaltender Will Cranley to a two-way contract for 2025-26, per a team announcement. He’ll make the league minimum of $775K if he’s on the NHL roster with an $85K salary in the minors.
Cranley, 23, was recently up with the Blues as their emergency goaltender for the playoffs. However, he was returned to ECHL Florida on Monday with AHL Springfield starter Colten Ellis recalled in his place following the latter’s elimination from the Calder Cup Playoffs.
A sixth-round pick by the Blues in 2020, Cranley was set to be a restricted free agent this summer following the expiry of his entry-level contract. He’s now in his second professional season, spending nearly all of his time in the ECHL. The 6’4″, 185-lb netminder posted a 2.71 GAA, .896 SV%, two shutouts, and an 11-9-3 record in 23 games for the Everblades this season as the backup to the AHL-contracted Cam Johnson.
Cranley enters the offseason with stability for next season, but he’s still fifth out of five signed netminders on the Blues’ depth chart. He’s still young, but he didn’t inspire much confidence in his short recall with Springfield this year, posting a .867 SV% across two appearances. He’s almost certainly destined for ECHL minutes again next season, and without a demonstrable step forward in his performance, a qualifying offer in the summer of 2026 seems unlikely.
Amazing that Cam Johnson isn’t on an AHL roster. All he does is win for the Everblades.
No one around here does a deep dive into the minors. Kudos for that homework.