April 19, 2012; San Jose, CA, USA; St. Louis Blues center Andy McDonald (10) skates with the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the second period in game four of the 2012 Western Conference quarterfinals at HP Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Andy McDonald, long heralded as the Blues’ best playmaker and signature power player, will become a free agent in 2013 after his four-year 18.8 million dollar deal. The question for the St. Louis front office is, should they re-sign the 35 year-old McDonald to a multi-year deal that effectively would end his career with the Blues, or allow him to walk and lose a player that was instrumental to the power play and the playoff run. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of resigning Andy McDonald-

Pros

McDonald has been a consistent point getter for the Blues since he arrived in 2007, garnering at least 35 points in four of five seasons in St. Louis. Further, he has great creativity on the power play, and gelled with the current unit when he was healthy. McDonald provides a veteran presence to a very young team that is just starting to realize its potential, and his leadership along with David Backes would be a great benefit to the roster. Perhaps McDonald’s greatest contribution could be in the playoffs, as he tallied 10 points in only nine postseason games last season.

Cons

The biggest cons to resigning McDonald are his age and his propensity for injury, as he missed at least 20 games in four of five seasons, and played in only 25 games last season. Further, at age 35, his best hockey years are definitely behind him, and a multi-year deal for McDonald could compromise the flexibility of the front office in the future. With contracts to Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, and possibly Kris Russell.

The Blues may decide that the risks of signing McDonald outweigh the rewards of bringing him back, and I would have to agree with this assessment. It is more important to maintain flexibility to fill future problem areas, and unfortunately McDonald’s past concussions and decline in production make him an impossible sign.

“Since the last bargaining meeting on Oct. 18, we have consistently made it clear to the League that we are ready to meet and are willing to discuss all ideas, certainly including their last proposal,” he told ESPN.com.  “The league has unfortunately continued to decline to meet. Their position makes it difficult to move the process forward, as it is obviously hard to make progress without talking.”

The two sides do not have any meetings set for this week, and a large gulf remains between the union and NHL. To be sure, optimism to save the season is all but gone, and it looks more and more likely that this lockout will remain through the winter months, leaving us without any hockey for the 2012-2013 season.