St. Louis Blues: Scottie Upshall Might Be Forced Into Free Agency
With unrestricted free agency less than one month away, the St. Louis Blues may not have as many internal decisions to make compared to years past.
Among the St. Louis Blues’ seven unrestricted free agents, only Scottie Upshall played more than a dozen games last season. Right now, it’s unclear if he will be coming back for more.
The Blues originally invited Upshall to training camp in 2015. His value proved strong enough to earn a pair of one-year contracts worth a combined $1.6 million. The veteran forward has averaged 16 points and more than 70 games per season in his tenure with the Blues.
Despite skating at a bargain value for most of his career, Upshall is no stranger to relocating. The Nashville Predators drafted him sixth overall in the 2002 NHL draft, but he has never played longer than four years with any of his following five teams.
More from Analysis
- St. Louis Blues and Cardinals Similar In All The Wrong Ways
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 82 At Dallas
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 81 Vs Dallas
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 80 At Minnesota
- St. Louis Blues Pros/Cons From 2022-23 Game 79 Vs NY Rangers
The Blues have also been adamant on developing a younger core within the system and letting free agents walk, most recently David Backes and Troy Brouwer in 2016. The 33 year-old may find himself in a tough position given how history has fared from both personal and organizational standpoint.
Regardless what may be in store for Upshall next season, the Blues do not have much to lose with whatever decision he makes. One could justify that St. Louis could be in a stronger position to compete by either extending Upshall’s career or letting him test other markets.
The Case To Keep
First and foremost, Upshall has been a staple on one of the most consistent fourth-line combos in hockey over the last few years with Kyle Brodziak and Ryan Reaves. Opponents may often take a strong fourth-line presence for granted, which led to each of these three setting their personal-highest marks as members of the Blues in points.
Along with these pleasantly surprising offensive contributions, the trio demonstrated defensive readiness with 86 blocks and 394 hits combined last season. Upshall saw plenty of opportunities on the penalty kill and logged nearly 11 minutes per game in the regular season.
Upshall also provided consistent depth when the Blues got hit hard with injuries last year. Three forwards made a trip to the injured reserve in the regular season, and some of these skaters worked through nagging pains in the postseason.
While Upshall may not be the sneaky 20-goal threat he once was with the Arizona Coyotes, he can certainly deliver in a pinch and offers leadership intangibles as one of the more experienced players to sport the note last year.
The Case To Move On
When it came to playoffs that ended last month, Upshall statistically was one of the team’s worst performers. He was held pointless in 11 games and took four minor penalties that contributed to extended time on the penalty kill for St. Louis. Indirectly, this could have been a cause for more fatigue evident in the second round for several skaters.
Perhaps some of these habits carried over with a 44.6 Corsi percentage, the worst on the team aside from Zachary Sanford. Basically, this means the opponents were controlling the puck and generating shots more often while Upshall skated on the ice than not, much more drastic compared to his 51.2 career mark.
While some parts of Upshall’s defensive game have taken a step back, the Blues have several more players looking for an extended opportunity.
Sanford, as one of the trade pieces for Kevin Shattenkirk, could fill this void having demonstrated two-way qualities in limited opportunities before the playoffs. The Blues could also regain some health with Robby Fabbri returning from a season-ending injury, while St. Louis may also look to promote talent like Tage Thompson down the line.
Cap space restrictions still offer uncertainty as to how different this Blues roster could look from now, especially restricted free-agent like Colton Parayko may seek a long-term extension. Additionally, the Blues announced they will protect three defensemen in the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft, which would likely set back negotiations with Upshall until at least after the draft.
Next: St. Louis Blues: Tage Thompson Needs to Stay At Center
NHL unrestricted free agency begins on Saturday, July 1. Other unrestricted free agents in the Blues system include Kenny Agostino and Chris Butler.