St Louis Blues Free Agency Outlook, Potential Fits

St Louis Blues Free Agency Preview/Outlook, Salary Cap Situation, Restricted Free Agents, Team Needs, and Potential Fits

It would be impossible to speculate how much money the St Louis Blues will have to spend in free agency. Reports from Kevin Shattenkirk‘s agent suggest a trade is inevitable, and could happen sooner rather than later. That would help bring the 2016-17 salary down to roughly $52 million dollars. That leaves a little under $21 million dollars to re-sign Jaden Schwartz and possibly David Backes, and address other needs beyond July 1.

Those other needs would be minor details such as addressing depth or finding a new backup for number one goalie Jake Allen. Any additions of significance this offseason are likely to come via trade.

On a side note, reports also suggest Vladimir Sobotka is working out a deal to leave the KHL and return to St.Louis. That is another variable which makes any FA spending speculation difficult. 

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St.Louis was immersed in the most exciting divisional race during the 2015-16 regular season. All three teams (Dallas, St.Louis, Chicago) finished near the top of the conference surpassing 100 points. The Blues finished two points short of Central Division winner Dallas with a record of 49-24-9 (107 points).

No team faced more adversity during this past season than St.Louis given the immense amount of injuries they faced throughout the year. Luckily, they had two goalies that could have put their name in the hat for MVP of both the first and second half.

Brian Elliott missed significant time early in the season, while Allen was lost down the stretch. The team continued to ride Elliott’s hot hand through the playoffs, but eventually fell short to San Jose in the Eastern Conference Final.

After another disappointing finish, the team should be looking to make minor changes this summer. The Blues did address one piece of business already, naming new Associate Coach Mike Yeo as the man to replace Ken Hitchcock behind the bench in 2017-18.

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St Louis Blues Free Agency Outlook/Preview

Salary Cap Committed to 2016-17: $57,754,582
Number of Players Signed: 31

Notable Unrestricted Free Agents: David Backes, Troy Brouwer, Steve Ott, Zack Phillips, Chris Butler, Andre Benoit, Danny Kristo, Cody Beach

Notable Restricted Free Agents: Jaden Schwartz, Magnus Paajarvi, Anders Nilsson, Ty Rattie, Phoenix Copley, Jordan Binnington, Jordan Caron

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The Blues should find a way to re-sign UFAs David Backes, Troy Brouwer, and Steve Ott – all three have proven their worth.

It will be interesting to see what type of figure Jaden Schwartz garners in his new contract. Given his recent injury history, negotiations should work in the favor of Blues management. At the same time, it’s not a player STL wants to low ball, he’s a core piece they need to lock down long-term.

Even with Nilsson, Copley, and Binnington potentially in the mix between the pipes, it still leaves a noticeable void behind Jake Allen following the Brian Elliott deal. Expect St.Louis to sign a free agent backup when free agency opens.

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St Louis Blues Free Agency Team Needs

Depth Forwards, Depth Defenders, Backup Goalie

As mentioned, any move of significance should come via the trade market.

Beyond a few top prospects (i.e. Ivan Barbashev, Ty Rattie, Jordan Schmaltz, etc.), the Blues organization lacks depth. This tends to happen when teams sacrifice young pieces for the short-term.

St.Louis could use additional depth in both their forward and defense group – merely AHL talent that could potentially see a call up due to injuries. It never hurts to have a few extra options, especially if the Blues face an injury-riddled season like 2015-16 ever again.

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Potential St Louis Blues Free Agency Targets

Depth Forwards: Ben Smith, Quinton Howden, Lucas Lessio, Cole Schneider, Marc-Andre Cliche, Luke Adam, Zach Boychuk, Christian Thomas, Zach Sill, Joe Whitney, Jerry D’Amigo, Ben Street, Patrice Cormier

Depth Defense: Jared Cowen, Michael Paliotta, Kevin Czuczman, Stuart Percy, Jakub Nakladal, Matt Irwin, Korbinian Holzer, Matt Tennyson, Kyle Cumiskey

Backup Goalie: Karri Ramo, Chad Johnson, Jhonas Enroth, Al Montoya, Justin Peters, Anders Lindback, Carter Hutton

*Salary/Free Agent information was obtained through www.generalfanager.com