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St. Louis Blues Re-Sign Klim Kostin

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The St. Louis Blues have re-signed winger Klim Kostin on a one-year deal worth $750K, per Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland.

Drafted 31st overall in 2017, Kostin hasn’t broken out offensively yet, but he hasn’t exactly been given the chance. In 40 games in 2021-22, Kostin had just four goals and nine points, but he was limited to playing just nine minutes a game. With David Perron departing the organization, though, Kostin has a shot to work his way into a top-nine role and therefore more ice time.

It’s a one-way contract for Kostin, the first of his NHL career. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2023 once again.

Players like Kostin will be increasingly important for the Blues as extensions continue to get handed out to their young players. While the Blues have given out a lot of questionable cash this offseason, there’s absolutely no risk with this signing, a pleasant change of pace for Blues fans. With a full roster, per CapFriendly, the Blues are less than $1MM under the cap.

Latest On Vladimir Tarasenko

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  • St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko made headlines in the summer of 2021 when he reportedly requested a trade from the St. Louis Blues. At the time, Tarasenko’s health was still very much a contentious topic and it looked as though his NHL future was cloudy at best. After a 2021-22 resurgence that saw him author the most productive season of his career, Tarasenko looks to be in St. Louis to stay, despite recent rumblings. There were those who supposed that Tarasenko would be included in any of the Blues’ offers to the Calgary Flames for Matthew Tkachuk, but that wasn’t the case. According to Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, the Blues never asked Tarasenko to waive his no-trade protection to be traded to the Flames. This report is likely an indication that the Blues have Tarasenko in their plans for next season, and his production could be increasingly important to their success thanks to the departure of David Perron.

St. Louis Blues Sign Nathan Todd

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After an impressive performance in the Calder Cup playoffs, Nathan Todd is back with the St. Louis Blues organization on a one-year, two-way contract. Despite being 26, he did not qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency as his 2021-22 contract was the first of his NHL career, and thus was an RFA this summer.

When teams talk about how the ECHL offers a chance for long-term player development, helping those who slip through the cracks work on their game at the professional level, it’s players like Todd who are the positive examples.

When his draft year came around in 2014, he hadn’t even played in the OHL yet, playing junior with the Brockville Braves of the CCHL to that point instead. After two good years with the Ottawa 67’s he made the jump to pro hockey and eventually found his way to the Brampton Beast, where he became a difference-maker at center.

Now established as a full-time AHLer, he had 11 points in 18 games for the Thunderbirds in their long playoff run and will return as a key part of the group next season. A contract like this means he could potentially even get an NHL call-up, which would be quite the impressive climb for the 26-year-old.

Colorado Hires Kevin McDonald

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The Colorado Avalanche had a vacant assistant general manager position after promoting Chris MacFarland earlier this summer, and have decided to go outside the organization to fill it. The team has hired Kevin McDonald as their new AGM, taking him away from the St. Louis Blues where he has worked for more than two decades in a variety of roles.

McDonald was most recently the general manager of the Springfield Thunderbirds, St. Louis’ AHL affiliate, a team that was just today named “Team of the Year,” for excellence both on and off the ice. The long-time scout had also served as an AGM for the Blues over the years after starting his front office career with the New York Rangers.

Poll: Who Does Matthew Tkachuk Get Traded To?

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Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk’s arbitration date on August 11 looms, but we know now that it’s only a matter of time before he suits up for another NHL team. Tkachuk told the Flames this week that he won’t re-sign long-term, either forcing a trade now or letting him walk for nothing as an unrestricted free agent next summer. With teams having spent a lot already during the free agency period, though, does a good Tkachuk trade exist with a team that he’s willing to stay with?

It’s a rarity that a restricted free agent is able to force a change of scenery like this, especially one of Tkachuk’s caliber. Easily one of the top wingers in the league (and top forwards in general), his unique fiery brand and 100+ point scoring potential is an incredibly valuable package. He finished the 2021-22 campaign with 42 goals, 62 points, and 104 points, all career highs, and received votes for the Hart and Selke Trophies.

He’ll be on his way out of Calgary, though, joining ex-teammate Johnny Gaudreau as marquee players to leave the team this summer. Having grown up in St. Louis, and with his father Keith still working for the team, a potential union between the Blues and Tkachuk has been a long-standing open secret. The Blues have been reported to be in talks with Calgary about Tkachuk, and it was also reported that St. Louis was on the small list of teams Tkachuk would accept a trade to.

While the report was contested and isn’t verified, Vegas, Florida, Nashville, and Dallas were also all teams that Tkachuk would sign a long-term deal with. While the cap situation for most of those teams isn’t favorable, Nashville and Dallas do have some more wiggle room than the rest in terms of tradeable assets that would head the other way.

So, PHR readers — where does Tkachuk end up to begin the 2021-22 season? Does he finally head home to St. Louis, does a dark horse team sweep him up, or is the relationship between him and Calgary somehow salvaged?

Who Acquires Matthew Tkachuk?
St. Louis Blues 43.09% (3,435 votes)
Dark horse team 34.47% (2,748 votes)
Nashville Predators 6.23% (497 votes)
Florida Panthers 6.11% (487 votes)
Dallas Stars 4.99% (398 votes)
Vegas Golden Knights 2.62% (209 votes)
Stays in Calgary 2.48% (198 votes)
Total Votes: 7,972

Mobile users, click here to vote!

St. Louis Blues Extend Niko Mikkola

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The St. Louis Blues announced today that they have re-signed defenseman Niko Mikkola to a one-year, $1.9MM contract.

Mikkola, 26, was a fifth-round pick of the Blues at the 2015 draft. By that point, Mikkola had gotten into just a handful of high-level professional hockey games, but in the year after he was drafted Mikkola took on a role as a regular defenseman on a strong KalPa Kuopio team. Mikkola spent three seasons at KalPa and then spent one season playing for Tappara Tampere before making the jump to North American hockey. Mikkola had established himself as a top-four quality defenseman in Liiga and needed to prove he could adjust and grow on North American ice.

Mikkola spent two seasons playing for the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL, slowly growing into one of their most dependable defensive defensemen. Mikkola’s success in San Antonio led him to a call-up in St. Louis, and Mikkola hasn’t been back to the AHL since that point. At the NHL level, Mikkola has averaged third-pairing minutes and seen time on the Blues’ second-unit penalty kill.

His offense isn’t what makes Nikkola an effective professional defenseman, it’s his size, reach, and overall defensive game. Mikkola is six-foot-four and weighs nearly 210 pounds, and he is able to effectively utilize that size to help clear traffic in front of Jordan Binnington. At 26 years old, Mikkola is in the thick of his prime and should be able to handle a role as a defensive specialist in St. Louis moving forward.

A $1.9MM deal is a very reasonable cost to the blues for what Mikkola brings to the table. The Blues, like all teams, are cap-conscious, although their need to maximize every cap dollar is made more important by their desire to remain a Stanley Cup contender for the next several years. Mikkola provides a cost-certain NHL-caliber defenseman, at least for next season. Beyond that point, Mikkola will have freedom to choose where he wants to play and the Blues will have to make the choice on whether he’s worth a pricier long-term investment.

Blues Didn't Make An Offer To David Perron

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  • In an interview on ESPN 101 (audio link), winger David Perron indicated he didn’t receive a formal contract offer from the Blues before eventually signing a two-year, $9.5MM deal with Detroit. Perron and St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong both expressed mutual interest in a new contract getting reached, especially after the 34-year-old put up 57 points in 67 games last season.  However, as Armstrong noted to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, his priority was shoring up the defense and Nick Leddy’s willingness to sign a four-year, $16MM contract basically took any chance of them keeping Perron in the fold off the table.

St. Louis Blues Sign Martin Frk

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The hardest shot in the minor leagues is coming to St. Louis. Martin Frk has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the St. Louis Blues.

Frk, 28, is one of the most feared goal-scorers in the AHL, with a shot that once registered at 109.2 mph during an AHL All-Star competition. While he can’t always control it, the Czech forward managed to find the back of the net 40 times in 58 games this season for the Ontario Reign, and even added two goals in six games for the Los Angeles Kings.

His game isn’t well-rounded, which has kept him from making more of an impact at the NHL level over the years but if the goal is to strengthen your minor league club, there aren’t many better options. He will likely get into a handful of games with the Blues but don’t expect a full-time NHL player on this deal.

Unless, of course, the team decided to implement a powerplay specialist, the way teams sometimes use players on the penalty kill. On the fourth line, Frk could play limited minutes until setting up his huge blast with the man-advantage, adding a lethal weapon to any powerplay unit.

St. Louis Blues Sign Perunovich, Five Others

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The St. Louis Blues have announced six contracts, including a new one for restricted free agent Scott Perunovich. The 23-year-old defenseman has agreed to a one-year, one-way contract for next season.

The team has also signed Josh Leivo to a one-year, one-way contract, while Anthony Angello, Matthew Highmore, and Dylan McLaughlin are all coming aboard on one-year, two-way contracts. Nathan Walker has agreed to a one-year contract extension for 2023-24.

Perunovich will be earning just $750K according to Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, a number that leaves a lot of room for surplus value. The young defenseman has shown top-four NHL ability but hasn’t been able to stay healthy long enough to establish himself as a full-time option. Since signing in 2020, he has just 43 games of professional experience. Seven of those came this spring in the playoffs for St. Louis, where he recorded four points despite averaging fewer than 11 minutes a game. That’s the kind of offensive upside he brings, able to contribute even in a limited role.

With no arbitration rights, there wasn’t much leverage that Perunovich had at this point. The fact that he is still waiver-exempt also likely played into the negotiation, as his qualifying offer would have come with a higher salary ($874K) but would have been two-way, giving him much less if he ends up in the AHL. Agreeing to the one-way deal guarantees him the $750K and likely helps him stay in the NHL, as he’ll carry a lower cap hit for the Blues to navigate.

Leivo, meanwhile is coming in on a $750K contract according to John Matisz of theScore, after leading the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup this year. The 29-year-old forward had seemingly established himself as an NHL regular before 2021-22 but ended up in the AHL and made the most of it. With 29 points in 18 playoff games, Leivo was named playoff MVP and now has another chance to show he is too good for the minor leagues. In 214 NHL games, he has 38 goals and 77 points.

Walker actually played in 30 games for the Blues this season, easily the longest NHL stint of his career. He even had eight goals and 12 points during that time and dressed in four playoff games. While he won’t be making a huge impact, extending him now suggests he’s a valued part of the organization that the team doesn’t want to see hit free agency next summer.

St. Louis Blues Extend Will Bitten, Sign Dylan McLaughlin

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Amidst the craziness of the ongoing free agent frenzy, the St. Louis Blues have re-signed an RFA depth player, Will Bitten. Per the team’s release, Bitten has signed a two-year, two-way deal carrying a $762K cap hit, per CapFriendly.

Bitten had a breakout season with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds after a midseason trade saw his NHL rights dealt to the Blues from the Minnesota Wild. Notching a solid 25 points in 45 regular season games after the trade, he was also stellar in the Calder Cup Playoffs for Springfield, tallying 21 points in just 18 games.

At 24 years old, the long-term NHL ceiling for Bitten isn’t super high, but there’s still time for him. He’s a cerebral player with good hockey sense, and he’ll look to continue to work his way up the Blues’ depth chart over the next two seasons. Bitten was originally a third-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2016. He’s yet to see an NHL game.

The team has also signed forward Dylan McLaughlin to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay $750K in the NHL and $175K in the minors (link).

McLaughlin began his amateur career in the USHL, playing for both the Sioux Falls Stampede and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders before spending four years at Canisus College, where he had 147 points in 152 games. The forward turned pro, signing with the Rockford IceHogs, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27-year-old has split his professional career between the IceHogs and the Indy Fuel of the ECHL, most recently compiling a strong 2021-22 with Rockford, tallying 13 goals and 29 assists in 55 games.

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