Blues Rumors

St. Louis Blues Place Robert Bortuzzo On Injured Reserve

November 10, 2022 at 10:15 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues, stuck in a losing spiral that has them dead last in the NHL, will have to pull themselves out of it without the help of Robert Bortuzzo. The veteran defenseman was placed on injured reserve today with an upper-body injury. Tyler Tucker was recalled from the AHL in his place.

Bortuzzo, 33, has barely seen the ice this season anyway, averaging just over 12 minutes in his 10 appearances. Even with an entire career spent on the third pairing that is the lowest ice time he’s seen, and the results haven’t been very good. With him out, the Blues will have to go in a different direction with that spot, perhaps even the youngster coming up from Springfield.

Tucker, 22, was a seventh-round pick of the Blues in 2018 and has moved his way up the organizational depth chart by being extremely hard to play against. The left-shot defenseman racked up 114 penalty minutes last season for the Thunderbirds and was a wrecking ball in the playoffs, helping the club to the Calder Cup Finals. In 11 games this season he’s turned up the offense with seven points, while still being strong in his own end.

Even earning a recall is a big deal for a seventh-round pick, but it seems like Tucker might actually get into the lineup if the Blues can’t find a way out of this losing streak. Why not try out something different, especially on the back end where the Blues have given up 43 goals in 11 games.

St. Louis Blues Make Several Roster Moves

November 9, 2022 at 12:44 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

The St. Louis Blues are one of the worst teams in the NHL right now, losers of eight straight and sitting with just six points on the year. As they prepare for tomorrow’s game against the San Jose Sharks, they’ve made several roster changes.

Logan Brown has been moved to injured reserve with an upper-body injury after taking a big hit and leaving last night’s game. There is no timeline yet to suggest how long he will be out but an IR placement means at least seven days. Jake Neighbours is also off the roster, this time assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.

Neighbours, 20, played a season-low 8:28 last night and once again failed to even record a shot on goal. The young forward has just one point on the season through 11 games, and seems to need some time in the minor leagues to get his offensive performance on the rails again.

In their places, the Blues have recalled Nikita Alexandrov and Josh Leivo from Springfield. The moves will give them a bit of a different look, though it’s unclear where exactly they will fit into the lineup.

Leivo, 29, has already played three games for the Blues this season, failing to record a point in limited ice time. The veteran forward has 217 NHL games under his belt and set a career-high with 14 goals and 24 points in 2018-19.

Alexandrov, on the other hand, would be making his NHL debut if he gets into the St. Louis lineup. The 22-year-old forward was a second-round pick in 2019 and had 30 points in 67 games for Springfield last season. This year he’s been a force, with eight in nine, and looks ready to be tested at the higher level.

Brandon Saad Returns To Practice

November 5, 2022 at 10:47 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Blues winger Brandon Saad has resumed practicing as he works his way back from a back injury, relays Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 30-year-old has missed six straight due to the issue and hasn’t gotten onto the scoresheet in his three contests so far this season. At this point, there’s no timeline for a return just yet and it’s worth noting that he’s not on injured reserve so a roster move won’t need to be made when he gets the green light to suit up.

St. Louis Blues Activate Keean Washkurak, Assign To AHL

November 4, 2022 at 5:31 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

As first reported by CapFriendly, the St. Louis Blues have removed prospect forward Keean Washkurak from their season-opening injured-reserve list, and assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Washkurak had left wrist surgery after being injured in the preseason and is now ready to begin his sophomore professional campaign.

The 21-year-old forward was the Blues’ fifth-round choice at the 2019 draft and made his full professional debut last season with the Thunderbirds. A solid top-six forward at the junior level, Washkurak played in a bottom-six role last season and scored a healthy 13 goals and 23 points in 64 games. Washkurak also got some looks on the team’s power play, although he was not a major contributor there.

Now 21 years old and fully in the professional phase of his development, this season will go a long way in determining if an NHL future is in the cards for Washkurak. That makes his return to health after missing just eight of the Thunderbirds’ games so important.

Springfield has gotten off to an uneven start so far in the AHL, with a 4-3-1 record, and they will hope that Washkurak returning to their lineup can help them find the form they showed last season when they made a run to the Calder Cup Final.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: St. Louis Blues

November 2, 2022 at 9:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid 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 for the 2022-23 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on 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: $84,237,279 (over the $82.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jake Neighbours (three years, $835K)

Potential Bonuses
Neighbours: $82.5K

After holding his own in a nine-game stint last season, Neighbours is expected to hold down a regular spot this year. It’s too early to forecast the next contract for the 2020 first rounder but it’s worth noting that his bonuses are games-played based and with St. Louis into LTIR, those could roll over and be applied on their cap next season.

Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level

F Noel Acciari ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Ivan Barbashev ($2.2MM, UFA)
F Logan Brown ($750K, RFA)
G Thomas Greiss ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Niko Mikkola ($1.9MM, UFA)
D Scott Perunovich ($750K, RFA)
F Tyler Pitlick ($750K, UFA)
F Ryan O’Reilly ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Vladimir Tarasenko ($7.5MM, UFA)
F Alexey Toropchenko ($750K, RFA)

Potential Bonuses
Greiss: $250K

O’Reilly is the veteran that many expect to be the one that ultimately gets re-signed. While he’s off to a particularly tough start this season, the 31-year-old has been a strong two-way center over the past several years while being elite at the faceoff dot. Those are elements that will certainly be in high demand and should keep his cost high even as he slows down offensively. Right now, a small dip could be expected but if he turns around and has a 25-goal, 60-point year when all is said and done, his next contract could be very close to this one.

Tarasenko’s future in St. Louis has been in question dating back to last season when his trade request wasn’t granted. To his credit, he responded in the best way possible with a career year that saw him pick up 82 points in 78 games while he’s off to a pretty good start early on this season as well. In doing so, he has put some of the questions about the health of his shoulders to rest as well. At this point, it’s still difficult to see him staying in St. Louis (especially with who else needs to be re-signed) but the 30-year-old is certainly positioning himself to be one of the top wingers on the open market next summer. Accordingly, another contract in this range could be doable.

Barbashev is a player many are keeping an eye on this season to see if his 60-point performance was a one-off or a sign of things to come. If it’s the former, a small raise to an AAV starting with a three could still be doable but a repeat showing could double that on the open market. Acciari has impressed the coaching staff early on and was bumped up to the front line but that’s likely a short-term promotion. He’s more of an energy player and as long as he stays healthy, it should be mission accomplished on bolstering his value which could put him in a spot for a multi-year agreement in the $1.5MM range. Pitlick couldn’t land a guaranteed deal through training camp but got one off an extended PTO. That’s likely to be the route he needs to take next year.

As for the RFA-bound forwards, both Brown and Toropchenko are at the stage where they’re looking to establish themselves as NHL regulars. Both have had limited ice time in the games they’ve played so far and that alone isn’t going to be enough to land a raise of significance. St. Louis will need to keep these end-of-roster spots at or near the minimum so it will be interesting to see if they can get these two to take another year around this price tag.

Mikkola was scratched at times last season but still managed to get this deal in exchange for avoiding arbitration this past summer. His role has been quite limited this year which doesn’t bode well for his market value. However, he still has fewer than 100 NHL games under his belt so there could be a team that feels there’s some untapped upside so even if he stays in a number six role, his market could be strong enough to get a small raise next summer. Perunovich took a one-year show-me deal and then fractured his shoulder which will probably keep him out for the rest of the year. Accordingly, another one-year, low-cost pact could be coming his way, especially since he won’t accrue a season toward arbitration eligibility if he doesn’t play this season.

Greiss was brought over in free agency to be a more cost-friendly backup goaltender but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him kept below 20 starts to avoid the bonus payout. He’ll be 37 next summer so he’ll likely be on one-year deals from here on out but after a tough year with Detroit, a bounce-back showing could give him a stronger market in July.

Signed Through 2023-24

D Robert Bortuzzo ($950K, UFA)
D Calle Rosen ($762.5K, UFA)
D Marco Scandella ($3.275MM, UFA)
F Nathan Walker ($750K in 2022-23, $775K in 2023-24, UFA)

Walker is a nice story of perseverance as next season will be his first one-way contract after nine seasons on a two-way deal. He’s one of those players that fits at the minimum in an end-of-roster spot but it’s hard to see him getting much more than what he will get next year.

Scandella fit in well after he was acquired midseason in 2020 but this contract hasn’t been a good one for them. He struggled last year and will miss most (if not all) of this season after undergoing hip surgery which has created the LTIR space that they’re currently using. At this point, he’s someone that could be looking at a pay cut of 50% or more in 2024. Bortuzzo is a depth defender that has signed a variety of low-cost deals to stay with the Blues. If they’re comfortable with him in a seventh role two years from now, that trend could continue with a contract similar in value to this one. Rosen has bounced around in recent years between the NHL and AHL and is likely to stay at or close to the minimum unless he’s able to establish himself as a full-timer at the top level.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Pavel Buchnevich ($5.8MM, UFA)

The 27-year-old fit in quite well last season, putting together a career year in his first season with St. Louis. If he can repeat that performance over the next few seasons, Buchnevich could be highly sought after in 2025 with a price tag that would be similar to Tarasenko’s. That’s a big if, however, but even if he checks in closer to the 60-point range instead of the 76 from a year ago, he could get closer to the $6.5MM range on his next contract.

Signed Through 2025-26 Or Longer

G Jordan Binnington ($6MM through 2026-27)
D Justin Faulk ($6.5MM through 2026-27)
D Torey Krug ($6.5MM through 2026-27)
F Jordan Kyrou ($2.8MM in 2022-23, $8.125MM from 2023-24 through 2030-31)
D Colton Parayko ($6.5MM through 2029-30)
F Brandon Saad ($4.5MM through 2025-26)
F Brayden Schenn ($6.5MM through 2027-28)
F Robert Thomas ($2.8MM in 2022-23, $8.125MM from 2023-24 through 2030-31)

Thomas and Kyrou are on identical contracts this season and that will be the case for the long haul now. They both vastly outperformed their bridge deals last year, establishing themselves as core players in the process which led to these agreements. With somewhat limited track records still, these do carry some risk but it’s clear that GM Doug Armstrong was factoring in the future cap increases with his thinking. They might be a bit above market next year for a season or two but over time, they should get a good return on these contracts as long as they continue to be impact forwards.

Schenn is coming off his best year in terms of per-game averages and he has produced a bit above that level this season so far. At this point, he’s still a quality top-six forward that can play both center and the wing and they’ll get a good return for a few more years at least. With the heavier style that he plays which takes its toll over time, there are some concerns about how the final few seasons could look but for now, this contract shouldn’t be a concern. Saad opted for stability over a pillow contract to try to rebuild his value and the Blues benefitted from that decision. He’s a capable top-six winger at a relatively team-friendly value now and as the cap goes up, it should become more club-friendly along the way.

Faulk’s acquisition and extension didn’t look great early on but last year, he turned a corner and had one of his best performances. He draws a lot of value from his production and should have a few more good years in him on that front. Krug also had his best season in St. Louis last season but isn’t the type of minutes-eater that Faulk is. While they’re not true number one options, they’re both valuable defenders and are strong anchors of their by-committee approach.

Parayko is supposed to be in that category as well. He has shown flashes of offensive upside in the past and if he could ever channel that with some consistency, he could become that true number one defender that St. Louis is lacking. However, he hasn’t been able to do so and while he logs heavy minutes, he’s more of a complementary defender when he isn’t producing. They’re paying him to log tough minutes and produce and that hasn’t happened often enough just yet.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Best Value: Thomas (this season)
Worst Value: Parayko

Looking Ahead

Armstrong will have one chance to make a move to upgrade his roster in-season using whatever is left of Scandella’s money. While LTIR room doesn’t accrue like regular cap space, it seems reasonable to expect that he’ll wait until closer to the deadline to see what exactly his team needs while trade partners might be more willing to retain salary at that time.

Let’s do some quick math. St. Louis has over $71MM in commitments to 14 players next season. There’s no way they can afford to keep or replace both O’Reilly and Tarasenko so one core player is likely heading elsewhere for 2023-24. The following season, they have over $64MM tied up in 11 players. Basically, until the Upper Limit starts to increase significantly, the Blues aren’t going to be able to add to their core group.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Update On Brandon Saad

October 30, 2022 at 2:30 pm CDT | by Ethan Hetu Leave a Comment

The St. Louis Blues are in a rocky stretch of their season at the moment. After getting off to a 3-0 start, the Blues have stumbled and are now 3-4 and second-to-last in the Central Division. Injuries haven’t played a major role in the team’s lackluster performance, but St. Louis could still nonetheless certainly stand to get healthier. Forward Brandon Saad has skated in just three games this season, and the Blues have to be hoping that he can return to health soon.

Despite the fact that he has not been placed on injured reserve, it doesn’t look as though Saad will be returning any time soon. As The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reports, Saad hasn’t been practicing due to an upper-body injury, and per Blues head coach Craig Berube, he’s “still a ways away.” Saad is an important contributor to the Blues’ all-around game, and the 24 goals and 49 points he scored last year is certainly the sort of production St. Louis could use right now.

Colten Ellis Assigned To ECHL, Off Injured Reserve

October 29, 2022 at 3:13 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

According to the AHL, St. Louis Blues goaltender Colten Ellis has been assigned to the ECHL’s Tulsa Oilers after being activated from season-opening injured reserve (SOIR) three days ago. Ellis last year was loaned to the Worcester Railers, where he posted a .905 save percentage and a 15-13-5 record. Drafted in the third round in 2019, Ellis sits fifth on the organizational goalie depth chart behind Jordan Binnington, Thomas Greiss, Joel Hofer, and Vadim Zherenko.

St. Louis Blues Activate Pavel Buchnevich

October 29, 2022 at 12:43 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 1 Comment

The St. Louis Blues announced that they have activated forward Pavel Buchnevich off of IR today. As a result, the team has also sent forward Josh Leivo to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. Buchnevich had missed the previous five games after suffering a lower-body injury on opening night. The team is set to take on the Montreal Canadiens at home this evening.

Though Buchnevich’s injury wasn’t too serious, a return today is a bit surprising. Word had been out that Buchnevich could be nearing a return, but as Blues head coach Craig Berube told reporters earlier, including Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the return could be as soon as Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. Evidently, that return will come tonight against Montreal. That return can’t come soon enough for St. Louis too, who is 3-3-0 on the young season, but has lost their last three games.

Always a solid point-producer, Buchnevich broke out during the shortened 2021-22 season, recording 48 points in 54 games with the New York Rangers. That offseason, New York sent Buchnevich to the Blues for forward Sammy Blais and a second-round draft pick. The 27-year-old did not disappoint in his first season with St. Louis either, scoring 30 goals along with 46 assists over 73 games.

Leivo, 29, is in his first season with the Blues organization after signing a one-year deal with St. Louis this summer. The veteran forward played in just seven NHL games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes, but did have a terrific year with the Chicago Wolves, their AHL affiliate, contributing 46 points in 54 games. Leivo has yet to play an AHL game in 2022-23, but has played three games with the Blues to start.

St. Louis Blues Sign Tyler Pitlick; Move Pavel Buchnevich To IR

October 25, 2022 at 11:33 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

After skating on a professional tryout to this point, Tyler Pitlick has finally earned an NHL contract with the St. Louis Blues. The team now has roster space to sign the veteran forward as Pavel Buchnevich has been moved to injured reserve. Pitlick will earn $750K this season on the one-year, one-way deal.

It was always a bit of a surprise that Pitlick couldn’t find a contract this summer, given it’s been six years since he stepped foot in the minor leagues. The 30-year-old forward is coming off a roller-coaster season that began with him getting claimed in the expansion draft by the Seattle Kraken, then traded to the Calgary Flames, and eventually swapped to the Montreal Canadiens as part of the Tyler Toffoli deal.

That tumultuous season led to just five points for the physical forward, not exactly what the Flames were hoping for when they used a fourth-round pick to nab him from the Kraken.

Now, with the Blues dealing with some injuries up front, Pitlick’s patience and hard work have paid off. He’s joining a group that is one of the most physical in the league, with a head coach who rewards the players that work hard and are willing to put their bodies on the line. It’s been that kind of career for Pitlick, who has racked up 659 hits in 325 regular season games, while chipping in 48 goals along the way.

A career-high 14 of those came with the Dallas Stars in 2017-18 but there’s no point really expecting that kind of offensive output at this point. Instead, he’ll give the group another hard-nosed, defensively-minded winger that can move around the lineup.

For Buchnevich, his IR placement is retroactive to his last game, meaning he can come off as soon as he’s ready to play. He and Brandon Saad both missed practice today, opening this opportunity for Pitlick to get back in the mix.

Logan Brown Close To Returning

October 21, 2022 at 7:51 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Blues should get some help on the injury front soon as Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes (Twitter link) that center Logan Brown is close to returning to the lineup. He has been out with an upper-body injury for a little under three weeks so he has yet to play this season. The 24-year-old picked up 11 points in 39 games for St. Louis last season in limited action while giving them some size at the bottom of the lineup. Brown remains on the active roster despite being out this long and accordingly, they won’t have to clear a roster spot once he’s cleared to return.

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