St. Louis Blues: This Is Your 2016-17 Roster

The St. Louis Blues 2016-17 roster is pretty well set. The only thing left to decide is where the pieces fit.

Social media is such a wonderful thing. Such interesting and fanciful ideas wandering about with no basis in logic. Only the whimsical fantasies of the hopeful.

In reality, people need to come to grips with the idea that the team you see on paper, as we approach the end of July, is the team you’re going to see come the fall. There are no more signings coming. These are going to be your 2016-17 St. Louis Blues.

While they are unlikely to see any NHL time, unless the Blues’ ligaments and joints keep blowing up like they have the last couple years, the signings of Jordan Binnington and Pheonix Copley are likely to be the last we are going to hear about for the rest of the summer.

The Blues may come up with contract extensions for current players. They may still even pull off some sort of trade, like those that were rumored before the NHL Draft. Free agency is done for the Blues.

According to GeneralFanager, the Blues currently have roughly $3.3 million in cap space. Well that’s a lie.

The worst kept secret in St. Louis is that Vladimir Sobotka is going to return. It’s not official because…well nobody knows why it’s not official yet. Maybe his agent is exploring all options. Maybe he just doesn’t want to face the media yet. Who knows.

Bottom line is he’s coming back and barring a trade, he’ll be wearing a St. Louis Blues uniform. So, kiss that cap space goodbye.

Sobotka is going to make $2.75 million and change for the final year of his contract that still stands since it was not voided out when he went to Russia. I’m no math major, but the Blues are only going to have around $500,000 between them and the ceiling (give or take depending on the specific numbers).

Doug Armstrong has done some good work in signing veterans for minimums and bringing people in on tryout deals, however the idea that anyone of worth is going to sign for under $500k is ridiculous and perhaps not even allowed by the CBA.

You can’t put yourself all the way at the cap ceiling either. You need a little bit of wiggle room. For example, say Jake Allen picks up a knock.

You know the injury is not serious enough to put him on the injured reserve list, but it will likely be two or three games. If you are already at the ceiling, then you don’t have space to bring up a minor league goaltender without making a roster move to clear space.

Since you don’t want to deactivate Allen, you have to send a skater down to the AHL and given the Blues have handed out several one-way deals lately, they might not have the freedom to send someone down without the possibility of clearing waivers.

Now, there are ways around that and players who are waiver ineligible that give you a bit of room. Even so, that’s just one instance. Eventually you run out of options if you don’t give yourself that extra wiggle room to jam a contract from the minors in when they make the move up.