St. Louis Blues Issue Three Qualifying Offers
The St. Louis Blues have extended qualifying offers to three of their six pending restricted free agents, retaining the negotiating rights to forwards Hugh McGing and Alexey Toropchenko, as well as defenseman Tyler Tucker.
Notably, forward Logan Brown and defenseman Dmitri Samorukov were not issued qualifying offers and will become unrestricted free agents on July 1 if they’re not qualified within three days. AHL defenseman Brady Lyle was also left unqualified.
A 2018 fifth-round pick, McGing made his NHL debut two months ago and is making strides in the minors. The 24-year-old picked up a career-high 17 goals, 22 assists, and 39 points in 71 games with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, where he’ll likely return next season.
Toropchenko, also 24, became a full-time NHLer this season, a role he’s expected to reprise in 2023-24. Selected a year before McGing in the draft, Toropchenko recorded 19 points in 69 games with the Blues and is developing into a capable bottom-six piece. If he signs his qualifying offer, he’ll be retained next season on a two-way deal worth $787.5K in the NHL, although he’ll likely negotiate (and receive) a higher-paying one-way deal.
Tucker, the 200th overall selection in 2018, is an outside candidate to crack the Blues’ lineup out of camp next season after some strong defensive showings in the minors. He got 26 games in the NHL lineup with St. Louis last year, too, recording four points and a -9 rating. The hard-nosed defender posted 21 points in 41 games with Springfield and will also earn $787.5K in the NHL on a two-way deal if he accepts his qualifying offer.
As part of this, the Blues are parting ways with a couple of reclamation projects that didn’t pan out in Brown and Samorukov. The Blues acquired Brown, the 11th overall pick in 2016, from the Senators in September of 2021 in exchange for forward Zach Sanford. He’s managed 69 games for the Blues across two seasons since then but scored just six goals and 17 points while continuing to struggle with injuries. If he stays with an NHL organization, he’ll be settling for a two-way deal on the open market. Europe is also a strong possibility for the 6-foot-6, 25-year-old center.
The Blues also acquired Samorukov in a swap, getting him in exchange for Klim Kostin from the Edmonton Oilers at the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign. He appeared in just two games for the Blues and took a step back defensively in the minors after the trade, posting just 20 points in 69 games for Springfield and a +1 rating after besting both those paces the year prior in the Oilers organization. A return to Russia could be in the cards for him.
St. Louis Blues Recall Alexey Toropchenko
With his two-week conditioning stint used up, Alexey Toropchenko has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues. The big winger is back on the active roster, though it’s not clear if he’ll be back in the lineup right away.
Toropchenko, 23, wasn’t even supposed to be ready for the start of the season after offseason shoulder surgery, but was ready when things opened and played 15 games for the Blues. The 6’6″ forward scored just a single goal in that time, and failed to make much of an impact, leading to this conditioning stint. During five games with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he recorded three points.
The Blues continue to struggle this season, allowing 108 goals in 28 games, easily the worst among Central Division clubs. That has resulted in a 12-15-1 record so far, including a 2-7-1 run in their last ten. Toropchenko certainly isn’t going to fix that, especially given the lack of production he has shown in the NHL. Sure, his size can be used as a fourth-line option, but the team needs a lot more than a few extra hits to turn things around.
Logan Brown, another big body, was also on the ice this morning at the optional skate, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com, but it was an appearance by Pavel Buchnevich that should excite Blues fans. Buchnevich hasn’t played since December 5, missing the last three games after a brilliant start to the year.
Alexey Toropchenko Assigned To AHL On Conditioning Stint
It’s been a rollercoaster few months for Alexey Toropchenko. The 23-year-old forward underwent offseason shoulder surgery and was supposed to miss the first chunk of the regular season, but managed to be cleared by game one. He entered the lineup right away and has played in 15 games but there has been little production from the big Russian winger. So far, Toropchenko has just one point in 15 games, and it came at the end of October.
With his struggles in mind, the team has sent Toropchenko to the AHL for a conditioning stint, where he can hopefully get his game back in shape. The team has gone with 11 forwards and seven defensemen recently instead of dressing the young forward, as he just can’t seem to find a consistent performance so far this year.
Notably, Toropchenko can’t be sent to the AHL for an extended period of time without first clearing waivers. That is part of the problem for St. Louis, who would likely prefer to give him a long run with Springfield as they try to fix the NHL roster in another way. If waived, there seems to be a good chance the 6’6″ winger would be claimed, if only because of his size and relative youth.
It may still come to that at some point, if he can’t turn things around and the team feels it needs that roster spot for a different player. While they have turned it around a bit, the Blues are still just treading water in the middle of the Central Division standings, now at 11-11 on the year.