St. Louis Blues Expected To Sign Patrick Maroon
Monday: Despite a source telling Rutherford that Maroon would sign in St. Louis, several teams remain in the mix for the power winger. His agent, Ben Hankinson, told Rutherford last night that the Blues are a “strong option” while Andy Strickland of Fox Sports reports that the Arizona Coyotes and New Jersey Devils had shown interest. Lou Korac of NHL.com though has heard that a one-year deal worth $1.7MM with the Blues has been agreed to, and the two sides will negotiate an extension in January.
Sunday: Just two days ago, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reported that the St. Louis Blues were interested in local product and one of the top unsigned free agents, Patrick Maroon. Now, Rutherford has confirmed his speculation, writing that the big winger will indeed return home to St. Louis and sign with the Blues. Rutherford hears from a source that this is a done deal that could be announced as early as this afternoon, but no details on the salary or term agreed upon have been revealed as of yet.
Maroon, 30, is coming off a career year in which he recorded a career-high 43 points in 74 games split between the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils. In 2016-17, he also recorded a career-high 27 goals and was one of the team’s top scorers in the postseason. If Rick Nash is indeed set on retirement, or at least taking time off from hockey, Maroon was the top available player on PHR’s Top 50 Free Agents list at No. 12.
Despite rumors that Maroon was interested in a return to either Edmonton or New Jersey, the St. Louis native emerged early as a target of the Blues. However, St. Louis has been busy this off-season, signing David Perron, Tyler Bozak, and Chad Johnson, not to mention several of their own restricted free agents, and then trading for Ryan O’Reilly. Accounting for their official moves to date, the Blues have little more than $5MM in cap space and still need to sign RFA defensemen Joel Edmundson and Jordan Schmaltz to new contracts. As such, many felt that the pairing of Maroon and St. Louis was no longer feasible. Yet, Rutherford reports that the Blues put the “full-court press” on Maroon in recent days, including meeting with him in person and having several members of the team call and convince him to join. It seems that GM Doug Armstrong and the Blues’ front office have a plan for working around St. Louis’ cap crunch.
Maroon is currently rehabbing from off-season back surgery, but is expected to be at full strength for the start of the season. A healthy Maroon is a major boost for St. Louis, even after adding several other impact pieces up front. The 6’3″, 225-lb. forward plays a physical game and is strong on the puck, something that the Blues lacked at times last year. He also adds significantly to their depth at left wing and has a finishing ability that should pair well with many play-makers on the Blues’ offense. While the salary terms will further clarify just how good of a signing this is, it stands to reason that Maroon – who made only $2MM per year on his last contract – is not earning so much as to make the Blues’ salary cap situation irreparable, meaning that he could be a great value for the team moving forward.
St. Louis Blues Sign Dmitrij Jaskin To One-Year Deal
The St. Louis Blues have announced they have signed restricted free agent Dmitrij Jaskin to a one year deal worth $1.1MM. The team has been working hard locking up their restricted free agents. The team signed Oskar Sundqvist to a one-year, $700K Friday as well as inking Robby Fabbri and Mackenzie McEachern Tuesday, which now leaves the Blues with just three restricted free agents remaining, including defensemen Joel Edmundson, Jordan Schmaltz and Petteri Lindbohm.
Jaskin played in a career high in games last season for the Blues. The 6-foot-2 bruising winger played in 76 games last season as he’s had trouble earning a full-time role with the team. However, the bottom-six forward seemed to have gotten a foothold into St. Louis’ lineup this past season and has even seen some extra time this past season on the power play. The bottom-six forward has some skill and a touch of speed, but it hasn’t translated into offense, however, as he tallied six goals and 11 assists for 17 points, while averaging 12:27 of ATOI.
The new deal is a slight raise for the 25-year-old as he will make $100K more than last season when he finished up a two-year, $2MM deal that he signed in 2016. With the signing, the Blues have just a bit more than $5MM in remaining cap room after the team added Ryan O’Reilly via trade ($7.5MM AAV over next five years) and also signed veterans Tyler Bozak ($5MM AAV over three years) and David Perron ($4MM AAV over four years) to long-term deals. Edmundson’s deal could also take up a significant amount of the remaining cap room, suggesting the team could be close to done unless it can move out some salary.
Blues Interested In Patrick Maroon
Even though the Blues have been big spenders this summer, they are making a push to sign UFA winger Patrick Maroon, reports Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, Maroon’s camp is staying patient and there doesn’t appear to be any particular rush to get a deal done.
The 30-year-old is coming off of a season that saw him record a career-high 43 points between Edmonton and New Jersey. While he has seen an uptick in his offense as of late, he is still a very physical winger as well which makes him one of the few true power forwards available on the open market.
Maroon underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back in May but it’s not expected to cost him any time next season as he is expected to resume skating in advance of training camp.
As is often the case when notable players remain unsigned after the first few days of free agency, one of the questions that Maroon will have to decide on is whether or not he should continue to pursue a long-term deal. While the security would certainly be nice, he may have to take less than his asking price to do so. However, he could look for a one-year pact instead in the hopes that another strong season offensively will only boost his negotiating leverage on the open market next summer.
While the Blues could certainly use Maroon in their middle six group of forwards, given their remaining cap space (roughly $6MM per CapFriendly) and having three regulars still to re-sign including defenseman Joel Edmundson, they would likely have to clear out a contract before they could realistically bring in the St. Louis native. Speculatively, that cut would need to come from the back end with blueliners Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson entering the final year of their deals. However, both players are still recovering from significant injuries (a hip issue for Bouwmeester and knee surgery for Gunnarsson) which could potentially complicate things.
Maroon ranks 12th on our Top 50 free agent list and is the second-highest player still unsigned. It appears that he may be on the open market for a little while yet.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Beau Bennett Signs In KHL
The deadline came and went yesterday without Beau Bennett‘s name on the list of players filing for player-elected salary arbitration, and now we know why. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express reports that Bennett has signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk in the KHL, meaning there was no need for arbitration with the St. Louis Blues.
Bennett, 26, has never been able to fulfill his first-round draft pick status and spent almost all of last season in the minor leagues. With 64 points in 200 NHL games, Bennett’s offensive ability—quite apparent at every other level of hockey—hasn’t ever shown itself. He’ll try another league, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him find great success overseas. The KHL often rewards players exactly like Bennett, who are obviously talented but have failed to really take advantage of the opportunities given to them in the NHL.
You can bet he’ll be back on the North American radar after a year in Russia, especially if he finds success playing for Minsk. There are 31 AHL teams who would likely welcome Bennett into the fold, but it’s obvious that he wants to play at the highest level possible. He’ll join Sergei and Andrei Kostitsyn on the KHL club, along with Jhonas Enroth and other former NHL players.
St. Louis Blues Sign Oskar Sundqvist, Jordan Binnington
The St. Louis Blues have avoided arbitration with one of their restricted free agents, signing Oskar Sundqvist to a one-year contract worth $700K. Sundqvist had filed for arbitration yesterday, but won’t need to have a hearing now. Sundqvist will be eligible for Group VI unrestricted free agency at the end of the deal should he fail to play in 10 games this season.
Sundqvist, 24, has just nine points in his 70 career NHL games and hasn’t been able to secure a full-time role. It’s unclear where he would fit in best in an NHL lineup, as he’s been a good power forward in the minor leagues but doesn’t possess a ton of high-end skill. Sundqvist was part of the trade that send Pittsburgh Ryan Reaves, but wasn’t as important as the first round pick that came along with him. In fact, he played just 42 games for the Blues last season and wasn’t given much of an opportunity to play an offensive game.
He’ll likely play much of the same role for the Blues, coming in and out of the lineup when necessary in 2018-19. Still, with the added depth up front that the team has added there’s no clear path to playing time for Sundqvist. A deal just slightly over league minimum is a reasonable amount of risk for the Blues, and doesn’t guarantee anything for the young Swedish forward.
The team has also signed goaltender Jordan Binnington to a one-year, two-way contract. Binnington didn’t file for arbitration yesterday after spending another season in the minor leagues, but will be rewarded anyway with a quick deal. The 24-year old had an excellent season for the Providence Bruins, spending the year on loan given the Blues didn’t have a primary AHL affiliate of their own. With a .926 save percentage during the season, he showed once again that he could be a backup NHL option at some point. That won’t come in St. Louis anytime soon though with Chad Johnson‘s addition and the continued presence of Jake Allen and Ville Husso, which may lead to him becoming a free agent next summer. Binnington will qualify for Group VI UFA status in 2019 if he fails to play in 30 games this season.
St. Louis Blues Sign Jordan Nolan
The St. Louis Blues continue their busy offseason, this time signing bottom-six forward Jordan Nolan to a one-year two-way contract according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Nolan will earn $650K at the NHL level.
Nolan, 29, spent last season with the Buffalo Sabres and registered eight points in 69 games as a physical presence on the fourth line. The Blues should be very familiar with him though from his days with the Los Angeles Kings, where he racked up nearly 600 hits and made his mark on the Western Conference. The 6’3″ winger has just 50 points in his career, but is added depth to a Blues team that will try to compete for the Stanley Cup this season.
St. Louis recently acquired Ryan O’Reilly and signed Chad Johnson, who both spent last season with the Sabres and would have some insight for the management team on the type of locker room presence Nolan brings. Though he’s not expected to play a big role for the Blues this season, he likely could spend the year in the minor leagues ready to make the jump if needed. Waiver eligible, he’d be at risk of claim from one of the other teams in the league but seems an unlikely target for most. The Blues are entering a new AHL partnership with the San Antonio Rampage, and will want to have several players with NHL experience on their minor league squad.
Blues Re-Sign Robby Fabbri And Mackenzie MacEachern
The St. Louis Blues remain a busy team this off-season, today inking two restricted free agents to new contract extensions. The team announced a one-year, two-way deal with forward Mackenzie MacEachern and soon after announced a second contract, a one-year, one-way deal for forward Robby Fabbri. The financial terms for neither deal have been disclosed.
Fabbri is the more well-known of these two players, even though he has not played a game since February 2017. The small, speedy winger has been sidelined with multiple ACL injuries in his right knee and missed the entirety of the 2017-18 season. However, Fabbri impressed as a rookie in 2015-16 and was scoring at an even higher rate the following season prior to his initial injury. The Blues have high hopes that the 2014 first-round pick can return to form, but for now it is no surprise that they will play it safe with a one-year deal. Fabbri needs to re-establish his value in St. Louis and that starts with being able to fully participate in training camp this fall and earning his top-nine role back.
MacEachern will also be looking to make an impression on the Blues front office at camp in September, as the 2012 third-rounder still has yet to make his NHL debut through two pro seasons. However, MacEachern faces an uphill battle, as the big forward recorded only ten points with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves last season. MacEachern showed more offensive upside while playing at the University of Michigan, but has yet to find his game at the minors.
After signing two of their restricted free agents today, the Blues now have five qualified RFA’s remaining to sign this off-season, including regulars from last season like winger Dmitrij Jaskin and defenseman Joel Edmundson.
Ryan O’Reilly Traded To St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues added some forward depth today by signing Tyler Bozak and David Perron, but weren’t done making a splash. The team has acquired Buffalo Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly. The Sabres will receive a 2019 first round pick, a 2021 second round pick, Tage Thompson, Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund. The deal will be completed today and the Blues will pay O’Reilly’s $7.5MM signing bonus, due just before midnight. The 2019 pick is top-10 protected, meaning should the season get away from the Blues they will not have to give up a high pick next summer.
While the deal certainly brings several assets to the Sabres, getting rid of the Sobotka and Berglund contracts were imperative for the Blues to get something like this done. TO complete the deal without giving up one of their top prospects like Robert Thomas or Jordan Kyrou, while also protecting their deep defensive corps. The Blues are ready to compete once again in 2018-19, and have brought in some experienced forwards to put them over the top.
For the Sabres, they not only deal O’Reilly before having to pay his signing bonus, but also get five useful assets. While Sobotka and Berglund were slightly overpaid and potentially hurting the Blues salary structure, they’re clear upgrades on some of the bottom-six options that Buffalo has used over the past few seasons. Thompson meanwhile is an excellent prospect in his own right, and should give them another key building block in their quest for redemption. Grouping the 20-year old Thompson with Rasmus Dahlin, Jack Eichel, Casey Mittelstadt and others will give Buffalo a core that they can really market as a future perennial playoff team.
Pierre LeBrun and Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic were the first to confirm the trade.
St. Louis Blues AddTyler Wotherspoon, Brian Flynn
The St. Louis Blues are getting some extra help in their own zone. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the team has signed defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon to a one-year, two-way contract. Wotherspoon is set to make $700K at the NHL level, with $400K guaranteed. The team has also signed forward Brian Flynn according to Bob McKenzie of TSN, inking a one-year two-way deal worth $650K in the NHL.
Chad Johnson Signs With St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues already lost Carter Hutton on the open market, and have now found their replacement goaltender. Chad Johnson—formerly of the Buffalo Sabres, where Hutton ended up—has signed a one-year $1.75MM contract with the Blues.
Johnson should serve as a one-year stopgap behind starter Jake Allen to allow goaltending prospect Ville Husso develop in the AHL for one more season. Husso, who posted a 2.42 GAA and a .922 save percentage with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage remains their best option for a long-term goaltender, but the team felt he needed another season in the AHL before he was ready for NHL duty.
The 32-year-old veteran has been a reliable backup for five seasons, although he truly struggled last year in Buffalo behind their porous defense and complained about the team at the end of the year. Johnson finished the season with a horrid 3.55 GAA and a .891 save percentage, but fared much better the previous two years.