Blues Rumors

Latest On Colton Parayko

August 31, 2023 at 5:35 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu 2 Comments

When a team in the NHL takes a step back and performs below expectations, typically there will also be a few key players on that team who have taken individual steps back, steps back that help contribute to the larger decline. The St. Louis Blues had a difficult 2022-23 season, one that saw them finish outside the playoffs. That’s been a rarity during the Blues’ current competitive run, one that yielded the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup championship in 2019, and one of the bigger reasons for that step back was the decline of key defenseman Colton Parayko.

Parayko, 30, is making $6.5MM AAV through 2029-30 but saw his all-around results decline from 2021-22 to 2022-23. He went from 35 points scored to 27, his ice time went down a tick, and his defensive play was not up to his usually high standards. That led to speculation that the Blues and Parayko could seek out a change of scenery in the offseason, though that didn’t end up coming to pass. Those trade rumors haven’t deterred Parayko, either, who told The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford that he plans on remaining a Blue “for a long time.” (subscription link) As the owner of a full no-trade clause, it’s going to be up to him whether that actually happens, and it appears moving forward both parties view a bounce-back season as the optimal solution to Parayko’s decline rather than a trade.

St. Louis Blues Sign Isaac Ratcliffe To PTO

August 24, 2023 at 4:30 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues have announced the signing of forward Isaac Ratcliffe to a professional tryout agreement for the preseason. Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports that there “could still be another” PTO signing coming for the team as they prepare for training camp.

In July, the AHL’s Chicago Wolves announced they’d signed Ratcliffe to an AHL contract for the 2023-24 season. Ratcliffe’s first priority will now be to make the Blues’ roster out of camp and earn a spot in the NHL, though AHL Chicago could very well end up his 2023-24 team should he fall short in that pursuit.

In Ratcliffe, the Blues are rolling the dice on a former highly-drafted prospect whose professional career has not to this point lined up with many scout’s projections.

Way back when he was a prospect for the 2017 draft, many scouts were intrigued by Ratcliffe’s imposing six-foot-six frame and coveted combination of size and goal-scoring ability.

He was ranked 15th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and was ultimately drafted near the top of the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers, 35th overall. Although Ratcliffe had slipped out of the first round, the Flyers ended up trading their own second-round pick, a third-rounder, and a fourth-rounder in order to move up nine spots in the draft order to be able to select Ratcliffe, highlighting just how highly Ratcliffe was viewed by some NHL evaluators.

Ratcliffe then proceeded to set the OHL on fire, scoring 41 goals the season after he was drafted and 50 goals in his final regular season of major junior hockey. Ratcliffe also added 30 points in 24 playoff games that year, partnering with Nick Suzuki to win the Guelph Storm an OHL title. At that point, there was a widespread belief that Ratcliffe had a chance to become an important part of the Flyers’ future forward corps, and he was ranked as the team’s fifth-best prospect by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman. (subscription link)

Pronman wrote at the time that “the pace [of the professional game] will be a big test” for Ratcliffe, noting that Ratcliffe’s “quickness is an issue.” That proved to be something of an understatement, as Ratcliffe struggled immensely to adjust to the faster pace of AHL hockey. While he could leverage his size and physicality to overpower his peers in junior hockey, the seasoned pros that populate the AHL proved far more difficult to outmuscle.

At the end of his rookie season as a pro player, Ratcliffe had collected six goals and 15 points in 53 games. His spot in the Flyers’ plans looked to be on increasingly thin ice, and after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped away much of the 2020-21 AHL season, Ratcliffe had the 2021-22 campaign as his best shot to prove to Philadelphia that he was still a legitimate NHL prospect.

He certainly played better, scoring 11 goals and 28 points in 59 games, and even earned his first NHL call-up, ultimately skating in 10 games in Philadelphia. But he still looked to be a step behind the pace of the pro game, and after injuries and inconsistency conspired to make the start of his 2022-23 season a real struggle, he was dealt to the Nashville Predators at the 2023 trade deadline.

Ratcliffe put together a solid stretch of games for the Predators’ AHL affiliate but ultimately was not issued a qualifying offer by the franchise, leading to his signing with the Wolves and this PTO with the Blues. The Blues have a few young wingers they’d like to see take real steps forward in their development and convincingly snatch regular roles in head coach Craig Berube’s lineup.

While players such as Oskar Sundqvist and Samuel Blais are locks for the Blues’ NHL roster, Ratcliffe will compete in camp against less established names such as top prospect Jake Neighbours, big Alexey Toropchenko, and veteran Mackenzie MacEachern.

With this PTO, Ratcliffe will have the chance to join the Blues for training camp and the preseason with the hope of pushing those players for an NHL job. While it’s ultimately unlikely that the Blues elect to sign and roster Ratcliffe over someone like Neighbours, Toropchenko, or MacEachern, he’ll have the chance to potentially showcase his talents to other clubs in preseason games as well.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

August Free Agency Update: Central Division

August 16, 2023 at 5:30 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

As even most mid-tier free agents are now off the market, it’s a good time to look at how each team has fared on the free agent market this offseason. We’re publishing a list of one-way signings (i.e., likelier to start the season on the NHL roster) by team, per division, to keep you updated on NHL player movement since the new league year began on July 1.

Asterisked players denote a restricted free agent. Double-asterisked players denote the contract starts in the 2024-25 season. Next up is the Central Division. You can check out the list of Atlantic Division signings here and the list of Metropolitan Division signings here.

Arizona Coyotes

F Jason Zucker (one year, $5.3MM cap hit)
D Mathew Dumba (one year, $3.9MM cap hit)
F Alexander Kerfoot (two years, $3.5MM cap hit)
*F Matias Maccelli (three years, $3.425MM cap hit)
F Nick Bjugstad (two years, $2.1MM cap hit)
*F Jack McBain (two years, $1.599MM cap hit)
D Troy Stecher (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)

Chicago Blackhawks

*F Philipp Kurashev (two years, $2.25MM cap hit)
F Ryan Donato (two years, $2MM cap hit)

Colorado Avalanche

*F Ross Colton (four years, $4MM cap hit)
*D Bowen Byram (two years, $3.85MM cap hit)
F Miles Wood (six years, $2.5MM cap hit)
F Jonathan Drouin (one year, $825K cap hit)
F Andrew Cogliano (one year, 35+ contract, $825K cap hit)
D Jack Johnson (one year, 35+ contract, $775K cap hit)
*F Ben Meyers (one year, $775K cap hit)

Dallas Stars

F Matt Duchene (one year, $3MM cap hit)
F Craig Smith (one year, $1MM cap hit)
*F Ty Dellandrea (one year, $900K cap hit)
F Sam Steel (one year, $850K cap hit)
D Joel Hanley (two years, $787.5K cap hit)
D Gavin Bayreuther (one year, $775K cap hit)

Minnesota Wild

*G Filip Gustavsson (three years, $3.75MM cap hit)
*F Brandon Duhaime (one year, $1.1MM cap hit)

Nashville Predators

F Ryan O’Reilly (four years, $4.5MM cap hit)
F Gustav Nyquist (two years, $3.185MM cap hit)
D Luke Schenn (three years, $2.75MM cap hit)
*F Cody Glass (two years, $2.5MM cap hit)
*D Alexandre Carrier (one year, $2.5MM cap hit)
F Denis Gurianov (one year, $850K cap hit)

St. Louis Blues

*F Alexey Toropchenko (two years, $1.25MM cap hit)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (two years, $775K cap hit)
F Oskar Sundqvist (one year, $775K cap hit)

Winnipeg Jets

*F Gabriel Vilardi (two years, $3.438MM cap hit)
F Vladislav Namestnikov (two years, $2MM cap hit)
G Laurent Brossoit (one year, $1.75MM cap hit)
*D Dylan Samberg (two years, $1.4MM cap hit)
*F Morgan Barron (two years, $1.35MM cap hit)
*F Rasmus Kupari (two years, $1MM cap hit)
G Collin Delia (one year, $775K cap hit)
F Jeffrey Viel (one year, $775K cap hit)

Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Blues Sign Jeremie Biakabutuka To Entry-Level Contract

July 19, 2023 at 10:37 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 6 Comments

After attending prospect/development camp for both the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues over the past two summers, undrafted defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka has finally landed an NHL contract. The 21-year-old received a three-year, entry-level contract from the Blues today, as announced by the team.

Passed over in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 NHL Drafts, Biakabutuka has steadily developed his offensive game throughout his junior career in the QMJHL, adding to an already formidable 6-foot-4, 203-pound frame. He played his fifth and final season of major-junior hockey with the Charlottetown Islanders last year, leading their defensemen and finishing third on the team in scoring with 42 points in 56 games. His 0.75 points per game also tied him for 13th among QMJHL defenders last year alongside San Jose Sharks prospect Jake Furlong.

The son of former NFL running back Tim Biakabutuka plays a rather all-around game and is a stronger skater and more offensively-inclined decision-maker than you’d expect for a defenseman of his size. It’s a blend of smarts and size that’s led to multiple invites from NHL teams, and with his junior career concluded, the Blues took notice of his strong finish.

His junior career was quite eventful, bouncing around between the Val-d’Or Foreurs and Rimouski Océanic before landing in Charlottetown via trade in 2022. He finished out the 2022-23 campaign on a tryout with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins in the Red Wings organization, skating in three games.

Biakabutuka is destined for assignment to the minors next season, where he joins a crowded defense group in AHL Springfield that will likely include rising prospect Matthew Kessel and minor-league mainstays like Joshua Jacobs and Wyatt Kalynuk. St. Louis does not have a dedicated ECHL affiliate, so it’s unclear to which team they would loan Biakabutuka if he can’t crack the AHL roster in Springfield. He’ll be a restricted free agent when his ELC expires in 2026.

Juraj Pekarcik Commits To USHL's Dubuque Fighting Saints

July 17, 2023 at 11:46 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 5 Comments

One St. Louis Blues 2023 draft choice has found a playing home for next season. 76th overall pick Juraj Pekarcik will be heading stateside to the USHL, committing to the Dubuque Fighting Saints for 2023-24 after spending his career until now in his native Slovakia.

Snapshots: Blues, Lightning, Coyotes

July 16, 2023 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Settling with Alexey Toropchenko today gave the St. Louis Blues come salary cap flexibility, says CapFriendly. Much like the Philadelphia Flyers did with Anthony DeAngelo, settling with Toropchenko, the Blues’ last remaining player who had filed for arbitration, opens a second buyout window for the team, which will open in three days and last for 48 hours. The rules for this unique buyout are limited, though – a player must have been on their reserve list at the trade deadline and must carry a cap hit of at least $4MM.

The Blues are cap-compliant but barely – CapFriendly projects them with roughly $290K in space with a full 23-player roster. They’ve expressed a clear desire to move out one of their aging top-four defensemen via trade, but nothing’s manifested yet, and it’s becoming less and less likely as the offseason trods on. It’s entirely possible general manager Doug Armstrong could choose to execute a buyout for someone like Nick Leddy, who’s struggled during his time in St. Louis and carries a $4MM cap hit through 2026. It would be a hefty buyout, running through 2028-29, but it wouldn’t carry a cap penalty of more than $2MM in any of the six seasons – it might be appealing.

St. Louis Blues Settle With Alexey Toropchenko

July 16, 2023 at 9:01 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 9 Comments

The St. Louis Blues have settled on a new contract with forward Alexey Toropchenko before his arbitration hearing next Thursday, the team announced this morning. His new deal will keep him in St. Louis for two more seasons and carry a cap hit of $1.25MM, earning him $2.5MM in total.

Toropchenko was St. Louis’ last unsigned restricted free agent. It’s a good thing they don’t have more off-season business to handle, as CapFriendly listed the Blues with just $810K in projected cap space before Toropchenko signed.

However, that figure assumes a roster of 14 forwards and eight defensemen, one player over the 23-person roster limit. They’ll get cap-compliant by assigning someone to the minors or trading one of their multiple defenders rumored to be on the trade block.

For Toropchenko, this is a nice pay bump after the 24-year-old winger made the league-minimum salary on a two-way deal last season. Drafted 113th overall in 2017, Toropchenko set career highs across the board in 2022-23, recording ten goals, nine assists, 19 points, and a +6 rating in 69 games played.

Head coach Craig Berube primarily utilized Toropchenko in a fourth-line role last year, and he’s likely to do so again. The Blues bolstered their forward corps over the last few months of 2022-23 with the additions of Kasperi Kapanen and Jakub Vrana, and they also acquired Kevin Hayes from the Philadelphia Flyers via trade last month, mainly filling up their top nine.

Toropchenko did post strong defensive metrics in that limited role, and he uses his 6-foot-3 frame to his advantage when forechecking. While it’s unlikely he’ll ever reach a top-six role, there’s a lot to like about his game in his limited role.

He’ll be a restricted free agent once again when his new contract expires in 2025, although he’ll be just one year away from unrestricted free agency.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the new contract.

St. Louis Blues Sign Dalibor Dvorsky

July 14, 2023 at 9:08 am CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

2023 top-ten pick Dalibor Dvorsky has another major career milestone under his belt just a few weeks after the draft: his first NHL contract. The St. Louis Blues signed their tenth-overall selection to a three-year entry-level contract today, per a team release.

The team did not disclose contract details. However, it’s important to note his signing doesn’t mean he’ll be playing in North America next season – as expected; he’ll be loaned back to SHL club IK Oskarshamn to honor the first year of a two-year deal he signed with them before the draft, reports Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland.

CapFriendly also confirms Dvorsky is eligible for an entry-level slide twice, given his signing age of 18, meaning a full-time loan to the SHL this season would kick the beginning of his ELC to 2024-25 (or later, if he plays less than ten NHL games again in 2024-25).

It’s likely Dvorsky is ready for some NHL looks after an additional year of development in Europe, though, and this upcoming year should likely be Dvorsky’s last in the Swedish professional circuit. The Slovak national spent most of his development from 2016 onwards playing in Sweden, where he registered 14 points in 38 games playing in the second-tier pros for HockeyAllsvenskan club AIK last season.

His draft stock varied a bit throughout the season, as his Allsvenskan production didn’t quite live up to the tantalizing flashes he showed when playing against his own peer group in Swedish juniors and internationally. Still, few Blues fans should complain about landing him at tenth overall, and today’s signing could very well begin a long tenure in St. Louis as a top-nine fixture.

Thomas Greiss Announces Retirement From NHL

July 12, 2023 at 12:35 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

Veteran goaltender Thomas Greiss has officially announced his retirement from the NHL after a 14-season career, per the league. The 37-year-old, who last played for the St. Louis Blues and was an unrestricted free agent, ends his career as one of Germany’s most accomplished goaltenders.

During the 2022-23 season, Greiss appeared in just 21 games for the St. Louis Blues in a backup role, finishing with a 7-10-0 record, a 3.64 goals-against average, a .896 save percentage, and one shutout. However, as offers for the upcoming season failed to entice him, Greiss said he ultimately decided to hang up his skates and embark on new ventures outside the sport.

After being drafted in the third round (94th overall) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2004 NHL Draft, Greiss embarked on a journey that saw him suit up for six teams throughout his career. In 368 regular-season games, including stints with the Blues, Detroit Red Wings, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Phoenix Coyotes, and Sharks, he accumulated a record of 162-130-37. Greiss posted solid numbers across the board with a 2.77 GAA, a .911 save percentage, and 16 shutouts.

His most notable tenure came with the New York Islanders, where he enjoyed his best statistical seasons. From 2015 to 2020, he compiled a regular-season record of 101-60-17, accompanied by a 2.70 GAA, a .915 save percentage, and ten shutouts. In the playoffs, Greiss wasn’t a member of some recent teams that made it into the Conference Finals, but he did post quite strong numbers on the island in the postseason – recording a 7-8 record, a 2.41 GAA, a .921 save percentage, and one shutout. He did notably play a pivotal part in the Islanders’ first playoff series victory since 1993, helping the team secure a six-game triumph against the Florida Panthers in the 2016 Eastern Conference First Round.

The 2019 Jennings Trophy winner sits only behind Washington Capitals legend Olaf Kolzig among tenure-related statistical categories for German goalies in the NHL. While Kolzig represented Germany internationally, he was actually born in South Africa – making Greiss the first Germany-born goalie to surpass the 100-game milestone. Leading his fellow countrymen in games played, he ranks second only to Philipp Grubauer of the Seattle Kraken in GAA, save percentage, and shutouts. Internationally, Greiss also represented Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and Germany at the 2006 Turin Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, also playing three seasons with the DEL’s Kolner Haie before coming to the NHL with San Jose.

It’s worth noting, however, that Greiss was banned from representing Germany internationally in 2021 after social media activity that put into doubt “his attitude towards [the national team’s] values.”

It was fair to wonder whether Greiss would play at least another season at home if no NHL offers came, as the national team ban didn’t bar him from competing professionally in the DEL, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. His departure from St. Louis has officially left the door open for youngster Joel Hofer to take a full-time backup spot behind Jordan Binnington next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Oskar Sundqvist Signs With St. Louis Blues

July 12, 2023 at 10:36 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

10:44 a.m.: The Blues confirmed Sundqvist’s signing, announcing a one-year, one-way deal for the veteran forward.

10:36 a.m.: Forward Oskar Sundqvist is poised to make his return to the St. Louis Blues, signing a one-year deal worth $775K, as reported by Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet and Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest.

Sundqvist was a key contributor to the Blues’ lineup during their run to the 2019 Stanley Cup, posting four goals and five assists in 25 games while averaging over 16 minutes a game – easily the highest usage of his career. A skilled but gritty and defensively inclined forward, he’s played for the Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild since the Blues traded him (along with Jake Walman) to Detroit in March of 2022.

Now 29, Sundqvist missed most of his last full season in St. Louis (2020-21) with a knee injury that limited him to 28 out of 56 games in the COVID-shortened season. He had broken out for solid offensive contributions in a middle-six role before that point, though, posting 54 points in 131 games across the two seasons before the injury.

Sundqvist posted his first double-digit goal total since the knee injury last season, scoring ten goals in 67 combined games with Detroit and Minnesota. A lower-body injury limited him to just one playoff appearance for the Wild, but he did score a goal in 12:43 of action during the Wild’s Game 2 loss to the Dallas Stars in the First Round.

His versatility allows head coach Craig Berube to deploy him at both wing and center, something that could help him lock down a spot in the lineup. He’ll likely be competing with fourth-line minutes next season with other depth players such as Alexey Toropchenko, Nathan Walker, Nikita Alexandrov, and Sammy Blais.

It’s also a financially prudent addition for the Blues at a league-minimum cap hit, as they now have just $1.59MM in projected cap space for next season, per CapFriendly. They still need to accommodate a new contract for Toropchenko, a restricted free agent who filed for salary arbitration earlier this month.

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