Blues Rumors

Will the Blues and Red Wings Keep Their GM After This Season?

September 9, 2017 at 10:43 am CDT | by Mike Furlano 5 Comments

Pierre LeBrun, most recently of The Athletic, wrote yesterday about two potential veteran GMs in their final contract year: St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong and Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland. LeBrun implied that it is unusual for GMs to play out the final year of their deal without an extension if they plan to stay with the team.

The two GMs might have to dust off their resumes, but for two very different reasons. Armstrong has officially helmed the Blues since 2013, but unofficially ran things since 2010. And while Armstrong has led the Blues to six straight playoff appearances, the team has yet to make the Stanley Cup Finals. Pressure is mounting within the franchise as it is now 47 years since the Blues made the Finals. If Armstrong’s contract is not renewed, it will be because the organization feels Armstrong fails to make the final push.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ken Holland is on the hot seat after recent disappoints mar his winning history. Ascending to GM before the 1997-98 season, Holland has led the Red Wings to three Stanley Cup victories and four Finals appearances overall. More importantly, up until last season the Red Wings never failed to qualify for the playoffs. All that changed when the team went 33-36-13 and finished last in its division. To be fair, Holland will not lose his job for one disappointing season, but rather for failing to continually restock the organization after its core stars aged. It is not an easy task to replenish an organization when a team routinely drafts near the bottom, but the Red Wings may want new blood to kickstart a rebuild.

Both these GMs have impeccable pedigree, and neither will be without work for long—if at all. But both teams may want to move in a different direction after failing to accomplish short-terms goals in the past few seasons. Maybe both GMs sign extensions, but the Blues and Red Wings would have reason to move on if they do not.

St. Louis Blues Announce Two PTOs

September 8, 2017 at 3:05 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues released their entire training camp roster today, and it includes two players on professional tryouts. Ty Loney and Michael McKee have been signed to PTOs and will be in camp, though not much should be expected of either. Loney has spent the last few years bouncing between the AHL and ECHL after graduating from the University of Denver, while McKee is a former fifth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings who just finished his fourth season at Western Michigan University. He became a free agent when the Red Wings failed to sign him this summer.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: St. Louis Blues

September 3, 2017 at 4:16 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2017-18 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

St. Louis Blues

Current Cap Hit: $72,569,167 (under the $75MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Robby Fabbri (One year remaining, $894K)
F Zachary Sanford (Two years remaining, $875K)
F Ivan Barbashev (Two years remaining, $742K)

Potential Bonuses

Fabbri: $425K
Barbashev: $183K
Sanford: $50K

Total: $658K

Much of the attention of the youth will fall on Fabbri, who many are hoping will have a breakout season this year. The former 2014 first-round pick has already played two full seasons with the club and combined for 29 goals, but many people feel this might be the year where he takes that next step. He looked to be having a solid year last year, but tore his ACL in February and missed the rest of the season. Now healthy, many believe the Blues will move him to center to take control of a top line.

Sanford and Barbashev are two youngsters who many feel may also take on regular roles in St. Louis this year. Sanford, a second-round pick in 2013 by the Washington Capitals, came to St. Louis in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade at the trade deadline last season. The 22-year-old joined the Blues for the final 13 games and scored two goals and five assists and many believe he should make a solid fourth-line center as he develops his game. Barbashev is a second-round pick from the 2014 draft and got a promotion for the season’s final 30 games. The 21-year-old picked up five goals and seven assists and showed that he deserves a chance to start, but may have to settle for a wing position to start the year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Paul Stastny ($7MM, UFA)
G Carter Hutton ($1.125MM, UFA)
D Joel Edmundson ($1.05MM, RFA)
F Dmitrij Jaskin ($1MM, RFA)
F Kyle Brodziak ($950K, UFA)
F Magnus Paajarvi ($800K, UFA)
F Oskar Sundqvist ($675K, RFA)
F Beau Bennett ($650K, RFA)

Obviously the team has to make a decision on what it plans to do with Stastny as he’s the biggest name amongst the team’s pending free agents next season. Stastny has been a solid contributor at center, but hardly spectacular and is probably not worth the $7MM AAV that he has received from St. Louis when they signed him in 2014. Injuries have played a major role for the 31-year-old veteran as he has missed 42 games in three seasons. On top of that, he only took 112 shots, one of the lowest of his career and his 22 assists last year is his career low, not including the strike-shortened 2012-13 season. The team has put some effort into developing some of their youngsters at the center position, including Fabbri, Barbashev and Sanford likely in hopes of eventually finding a replacement for Stastny in the near future.

After Stastny, the talent level drops, but the team will have several restricted free agents who will be in line for more money next year. Edmundson, entering his third full year in the league, who has struggled with injuries in his two years. He played in 67 games in 2015-16 and just 69 games last year. He put up three goals and 12 assists last year, but should get more playing time with Shattenkirk gone and if he can stay healthy, should put up even better numbers. Sundqvist also came to St. Louis in a recent trade. Acquired from Pittsburgh in the Ryan Reaves trade, Sundqvist hopes to break camp with the Blues. He couldn’t crack the lineup in Pittsburgh, managing just 28 games over the past two years, but he did score 20 goals for the Penguins’ AHL squad this year. The center has a good chance to win a bottom six center position this year.

Jaskin has had trouble staying in the lineup for the Blues. The 24-year-old has been with the team now for four seasons, but has never been able to a steady contributor. He only managed to get into 51 games last year, for one goal and 10 assists. If he can’t put together a solid season, it may be his last in St. Louis. Bennett, who was signed as a free agent this summer, must prove he can make the team first. The 25-year-old wing scored eight goals in 65 games for the New Jersey Devils last year.

Among unrestricted free agents, the team may want to bring back Hutton, who has served the Blues well as their backup goaltender. The 31-year-old played 29 games and finished the year with a 2.39 GAA and a .913 save percentage. The 33-year-old Brodziak makes for a good fourth-line player, but this could likely be his last year in St. Louis, while Paajarvi split time between the Blues and the Chicago Wolves and also could be at the end of the line if he can’t make the team out of training camp.

Two Years Remaining

D Jay Bouwmeester ($5.4MM, UFA)
D Carl Gunnarsson ($2.9MM, UFA)
D Robert Bortuzzo ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Chris Thorburn ($900K, UFA)
D Nate Prosser ($650K, UFA)

This will be the year where the Blues will have to make some defensive decisions, especially with Bouwmeester, who will be 35 years old when his contract comes up. The deal he signed back in 2014 looked good, but three years later, he isn’t nearly as good and despite contantly being handed a role on the top defensive line, his time is fading quickly. Gunnarsson and Bortuzzo are bottom-line defenders and will likely be replaced by younger options.

Three Years Remaining

D Alex Pietrangelo ($6.5MM, UFA)
F Brayden Schenn ($5.125MM, UFA)
F Vladimir Sobotka ($3.5MM, UFA)

The team does have most of its top players already locked up for a significant amount of time and that includes Pietrangelo, who remains the team’s top defenseman. Of all the defensemen that benefitted when the team dealt Shattenkirk to the Capitals, the 27-year-old took advantage of the extra playing time. He had 30 points after his first 60 games, but after the trade, his numbers took off with 18 points in the next 20 games. He could have a breakout year. Schenn, acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers at a costly price of two potential first-round picks along with Jori Lehtera, should provide the team with some scoring. He has scored 51 goals over the last two seasons. Sobotka is the wildcard whose future is hard to project. After playing four years for the Blues, he left the NHL and played three years in the KHL before returning at the end of the season, signing a new three-year deal in April. He played in the team’s final regular season game, scoring a goal and then added two goals and six assists in 11 playoff games. The 30-year-old wing should be able to contribute to the team’s second or third line for a few more years.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Vladimir Tarasenko ($7.5MM through 2022-23)
F Alex Steen ($5.75MM through 2020-21)
D Colton Parayko ($5.5MM through 2021-22)
F Jaden Schwartz ($5.35MM through 2020-21)
G Jake Allen ($4.35MM through 2020-21)
F Patrik Berglund ($3.85MM through 2021-22)

Most of the team’s top talent is already locked up long-term. Tarasenko is signed for the longest and fortunately for the team, he’s also their best player. The 25-year-old has scored 116 goals over the past three years and still has the potential to get better. Many believe that despite having Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester, Parayko might be their best defenseman of the future. Already locked up for five more years, the 24-year-old blueliner is coming off a 35-point season and many feel he will only improve. Schwartz, who will likely team up with Tarasenko, is coming off a 55-point season with 19 goals. At 25, he should continue to develop alongside of Tarasenko.

Allen has steadily developed into a quality goaltender over the past few years and he really took off as the starter this year. He played in a career-high 61 games last year, putting up a 2.42 GAA and a .915 save percentage. However, he got even better once new coach Mike Yeo came aboard in February. In his final 25 games, he was 16-7-2 with a .938 save percentage. He should continue to put up good numbers for the next several years. The team took a hard loss earlier this offseason when Berglund underwent surgery on his left shoulder and will not return until December. The 29-year-old wing had a career-high 23 goals last year. Perhaps one of their worst deals, Steen still has four years at 33 years old. He has had a couple of down years after putting up 31 and 24 goals, respectively, but has managed just 33 goals in the last two years combined. Still, he put up 51 points last year and did have a broken bone in his foot during the playoffs, so maybe he deserves a break.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Tarasenko
Worst Value: Steen

Looking Ahead

This will be Yeo’s first full season in St. Louis, so he should have even more control than last year’s team that survived a round of the playoffs before losing in the second round to the Nashville Predators. With the additions of Sobotka and Schenn as well as the continued development of Tarasenko, Fabbri, Parayko and Pietrangelo to name a few, the Blues seem to have a bright future ahead of them. They are in solid shape cap-wise and should still be able to pick up a few free agents in the future if they can keep things going.

Blues Notes: Tarasenko, Schenn, Tavares, Barbashev

September 2, 2017 at 7:51 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues have high hopes for the coming season and much of those hopes hinges on the play of star player Vladimir Tarasenko, who has been the team’s top scorer and has put up impressive numbers over the past several years. However, what Tarasenko has not done is show any improvement. In scoring, he’s put up 37, 40 and 39 goals. He put up 36 assists in 2014-15, 34 assists the following year and then 36 assists again last year. His numbers are virtually identical.

At 25 years of age, the question is whether his present numbers are as good as they are going to get. Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that his development will likely hinge on coach Mike Yeo’s coaching success. Now entering his first full year as head coach, the scribe writes that it will be Yeo’s job to push him to that elite level. Much of that will be finding the perfect linemates for him, which the team has failed to do in the past. Jaden Schwartz is a good fit with Tarasenko on the opposite wing, but who will man the center position remains up in the air.

Gordon, in the same piece, writes that newly acquired forward Brayden Schenn has much to prove this coming season. There are many questions surrounding whether he is a true center or just a scorer. The Blues, who acquired Schenn from Philadelphia for their 2017 first-round pick and veteran Jori Lehtera, is expected to be a top-six player, but he has not proven to be a dominant center in the league so far, struggling with faceoffs and his defense. Schenn has scored 45 goals over the past two seasons.
Don’t expect the Blues to go after John Tavares if he becomes available. With Tarasenko tied up until 2022-23, the Blues will not want to offer a $10MM per year contract and have two huge contracts on their cap. Gordon compared the situation to the Chicago Blackhawks and how difficult a time they are having keeping their team afloat with their two superstars on the roster.
Finally Gordon suggests the two players who could take that “next step” are likely to be centers Ivan Barbashev and Zachary Sanford. Barbashev, the team’s second-round pick in 2014. He scored five goals and 12 points in 30 games at the end of last year and also scored 19 goals for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The 21-year-old center might be ready for a much bigger role next year. Gordon also feels that Sanford, a second-rounder in 2013, who the Blues acquired in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade, could take the next step. Between the Capitals and the Blues, he scored four goals in 39 games. The 22-year-old also tallied 11 goals for the AHL Hershey Bears.

St. Louis Blues Practice Facility Development Temporarily Halted

August 30, 2017 at 7:48 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

As an update to our previous story on the St. Louis Blues’s practice facility controversy, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the St. Louis County Council voted 4-3 last night to pause construction of the new venue. The planned facility would be located in Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park, about 20 miles from downtown St. Louis. According to the planning documents, the main practice facility will have three NHL-size indoor ice rinks and one NHL-sized covered outdoor rink.

Part of the reason for the delay is that the developers were supposed to gain U.S. federal parks approval before developing on land funded by federal park money. Last week, however, construction crews started grading the land—bulldozing, cutting down trees, etc—without the necessary federal approval. Organizers initially said that this work was unrelated to the practice facility development, but city permits expressly stated that the work was for constructing an ice rink.

The other reason for the delay is cost overrun. The initial project was estimated at $59.3MM but is now up to $66MM. Council members are frustrated at the misrepresentation and lack of disclosure by the developers, and now plan to delay issuing permits until further notice.

It does not seem like the county is against the facility itself, but would like more transparency as to what is actually going on. Public stadium (and arena) financing is always a controversy-tinged subject, and this facility is no different.

New Practice Facility For St. Louis Blues In Political Controversy

August 28, 2017 at 7:15 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues find itself in some hot water this week as a proposed practice facility potentially runs afoul of U.S. federal conservation laws. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Stephen Deere reports that the St. Louis County Council may attempt to delay issuing permits to the project.

The practice facility is proposed to be built in Creve Coeur Lake Park, MO, about 20 miles from the St. Louis Blues’ Scottrade Center. But because federal funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund were used to develop part of the park, any future development must receive approval from the National Park Service. The developers are still waiting for approval as state and federal officials review environmental assessments.

The Post-Dispatch’s Tony Messenger reports that developers have begun bulldozing and grading the proposed site, despite not receiving the required approvals. Messenger writes that county officials state that the work is unrelated to the practice arena development, but city permits authorizing the work list the purpose as “Construction of an Ice Center.”

Morning Notes: Lindros, Sabres, McCool

August 28, 2017 at 10:45 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they will raise Eric Lindros’ #88 sweater to the rafters in January of next year, retiring it from circulation among their players. No one has worn the number since Lindros’ departure, but his sweater will now officially join the likes of Bernie Parent (#1), Mark Howe (#2), Barry Ashbee (#4), Bill Barber (#7) and Bobby Clarke (#16) in retirement.

Lindros was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, and as Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post points out on Twitter, Mark Recchi’s #8 could join the retired list next season. Recchi is among the 2017 Hall of Fame inductees, and spent parts of ten seasons with the Flyers. Lindros’ ceremony will be held on January 18th, before the Flyers take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Buffalo Sabres announced a huge list of number changes for the upcoming season, including Jason Pominville re-acquiring his #29 from Jake McCabe. Pominville has worn the number for his entire career, including the nine previous seasons he spent in Buffalo. McCabe will wear #19 this season. To keep up with all player numbers and depth charts, make sure to head over to Roster Resource where things are constantly updated with the latest information.
According to Andy Strickland of Fox Sports, Hayden McCool will be in rookie camp for the St. Louis Blues, fresh off a Memorial Cup win in Windsor. McCool is a big forward who was deployed in a purely checking role for the Spitfires of the OHL. Undrafted, he’ll attend camp hoping to earn an AHL spot somewhere, though the Blues don’t have a single affiliate this season. McCool will more than likely only make an impact at the minor league level, but his work ethic and physical game is one that could translate to a fourth-line at some point.

Blues Notes: Steen, Prospects, Fabbri

August 27, 2017 at 3:52 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg Leave a Comment

Rutherford in the same piece adds that he does not believe any of the Blues top prospects, Klim Kostin, Jordan Kyrou or Tage Thompson, have much of a chance of breaking with the Blues after training camp. He said Kostin is still recovering from an injury and just moved to the U.S. a couple of months ago. Kyrou is ticketed to go back to his junior team, while Thompson struggled adjusting to the AHL.

Snapshots: Blues, Butcher, Canucks

August 24, 2017 at 8:50 pm CDT | by Ben Levine 2 2 Comments

The St. Louis Blues signed defenseman Colton Parayko to a new five-year, $27.5MM deal earlier this offseason. The 24-year-old understands that more pressure will accompany his larger contract.

“I obviously want to come and be a better player and be a big part of it,” Parayko told Louie Korac of NHL.com. “But at the same time, I don’t want to get outside of my game and try to do things that aren’t part of me. You’ve just got to find a medium that’s going to make the team better and also make you efficient.

“The main goal is to obviously have the best team and hopefully I can help solidify that and just kind of do my job and make it easy for others. I obviously don’t want to get out of my element and get out of things I do best. I’ve got to focus on doing those and try to do that every single night, obviously [be] more consistent and make sure I continue to play good.”

The defenseman finished his second NHL season with four goals and 31 assists in 81 games. The 2013 third-rounder figures to once again team up with Joel Edmundson on the Blues’ second line.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NHL…

We learned earlier today that college free agent Will Butcher will be making his decision this weekend, and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets that the Penguins aren’t a finalist for the young defenseman. Pittsburgh had previously been connected to Butcher, along with the Sabres, Blue Jackets, Devils, and Golden Knights. The reigning Hobey Baker award winner out of the University of Denver was initially a fifth-round pick by the Avalanche back in 2013.
The Canucks might not be finished with free agency, as Matthew Sekeres of TSN 1040 AM tweets that the organization has discussed signing a forward, including veteran Thomas Vanek. The reporter notes that the team has also extended at least a pair of professional try outs. The 33-year-old Vanek split last season with the Red Wings and Panthers, collecting 17 goals and 31 assists in 68 games. We heard yesterday that interest in the free agent winger was beginning to ramp up.
In case you missed it, recently bought out Anaheim Ducks defender Simon Despres signed with Russian club Slovan Bratislava earlier today.

St. Louis Blues Prospect Undergoes Surgery, Out Until December

August 19, 2017 at 11:24 am CDT | by Mike Furlano 1 Comment

The St. Louis Blues announced today that prospect goaltender Luke Opilka underwent successful surgery to repair a torn left hip labrum. Opilka had been dealing with the injury throughout last season with the OHL Kitchener Rangers. The Blues expect Opilka to be out until December 2017.

This is the second hip surgery for Opilka. He underwent hip surgery last offseason in an attempt to help him in the long term. Opilka came back and put up a 3.51 SV% and a .889 GAA in 31 games for Kitchener.

The Blues drafted Opilka 146th overall in the 2015 NHL draft. It was unclear whether Opilka would remain in the OHL as an over-ager, or make the transition to the AHL. Unfortunately, the Blues do not have a full-time AHL affiliate until 2018-19. The Blues did call call Opilka up from the OHL during the Blues’ playoffs last season, but the young goaltender did not dress for any games. His presence was more for practice fodder and to give the NHL goaltenders a rest.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Headlines

Blues Rumors

Entry-Level Contracts

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

Two Years Remaining

Three Years Remaining

Four Or More Years Remaining

Buyouts

Retained Salary Transactions

Still To Sign

Looking Ahead

Navigation

PHR Info

Connect