St. Louis Blues: Ivan Barbashev weighing overseas options
St. Louis Blues restricted free agent forward Ivan Barbashev could be on the verge of leaving the NHL for something overseas.
The St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup, so they’re in the midst of a short offseason. Despite having multiple players to re-sign, they’ve been able to get most of their work done. However, the Blues have yet to sign restricted free agent forward Ivan Barbashev. According to multiple reports, he could be heading overseas.
Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic is reporting Barbashev and his agent Dan Milstein are weighing all of his options on both sides of the ocean. Andy Strickland from Fox Sports Midwest confirmed this rumor. This could just be a negotiating ploy to get Barbashev more money.
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Last season, Barbashev emerged as an everyday player for the Blues. He played his first full season in the NHL, playing in 80 games. Barbashev had 25 career points in 83 games before the 2018-19 season began. He doubled his career total with 14 goals, 12 assists, and 26 points in 80 games.
During the Blues Stanley Cup run, Barbashev appeared in 25 games, picking up six points (three goals and three assists). After averaging 11:31 of ice time per game during the regular season, Barbashev averaged 12:28 of ice time per game during the postseason, as he helped lead the Blues fourth line.
Originally drafted in the second round of the 2014 NHL Draft, head coach Craig Berube trusted him quite a bit. During the postseason, the Blues’ fourth line was one of their best, so they got more playing time. Barbashev’s contributions played a significant role in that.
He averaged 1:34 of ice time per game killing penalties. This ranked fourth among Blues forwards. He was most often paired with Oscar Sundqvist on the penalty kill. The duo was very effective, especially in the postseason.
With very little leverage, this could just be a way of him creating some. Barbashev has no arbitration rights, so there’s not too much he can do. The Blues have about $1.9 million of cap space, though they can open up $1.4 million by sending down Derrick Pouliot and Mackenzie MacEachern.
Also, this could be a good way for both parties to get the ball rolling. Without arbitration, neither party has been pushing too hard to get a deal done. The mere threat of leaving to go overseas might be enough to get the Blues to get closer to a deal Barbashev is willing to sign.
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MacEachern could be an option if the Blues can’t re-sign Barbashev. Samuel Blais could replace him as well. But Barbashev was a critical part of the Blues Stanley Cup team. Expect something to get done because, honestly, Barbashev’s probably not finding anything better overseas.