Bleedin' Blue
Fansided

Barret Jackman Scratch Good For Health, Salary Cap

By Kate Cimini

facebooktwitterreddit

In Tuesday night’s game against the Calgary Flames St. Louis Blues defenseman Barret Jackman was a healthy scratch.

Jackman is the only Blues player to play all 69 games this season and his scratch was a surprise to many, including Jackman himself. Post-Dispatch Blues correspondent Jeremy Rutherford’s Twitter timeline shows what took place over the previous day.

I’m sure he’s not pleased by any means,” Blues captain David Backes told the media. “It’s extremely tough to see a guy that puts it all on the line every night to be sitting out. If he’s not playing tonight, he’ll be ready for the next one.”

More from Editorials

Some people were caught by surprise by Jackman’s forced rest but it shouldn’t be seen as a negative for the veteran defender or spell certain doom and gloom.

In the first place, it’s not unusual for a coach to rest a veteran defenseman when they have new, capable defenders that haven’t gotten a chance to take the ice with each other. It’s smart of Hitchcock to try out new pairings, and particularly with a team like Calgary, who is strong enough to give his defenders a work out, but still far enough down in the standings that his team has a strong chance of winning.

And in the second place: Jackman is 34 and plays like it. He’s a smart, older defender who is going to need to have his legs under him when the postseason hits; being in great shape at 34 is different from being in great shape at 25, 31, or even 32. Common sense tells us that bodies need to rest every once in a while to maintain a high level of physical output and Jackman hasn’t taken a breather in quite a while.

He’s played in 280 of the last 286 games the Blues have played and hasn’t taken a break all season. Frankly, he’s due one, whether he wants it or not.

Barret Jackman Contract Info From

War-On-Ice

Jackman’s contract with St. Louis is up at the end of this season and he’ll become a UFA. For Jackman’s output, he currently carries a decently hefty cap hit, as well. In light of these facts, it makes even more sense for Hitchcock to sit him now and see what he’s got without Jackman in front of Allen or Elliott. The reality for the Blues is that Jackman may choose to sign with a club that can offer him more money than the cap-heavy Blues will want to. And if he doesn’t?

He might choose to spend his final years in the NHL with the Blues due to a kind of hometown loyalty, as he’s been with the Blues his entire NHL career. If that’s something Jackman’s looking at, sitting him a game or two in the months before he becomes a UFA is a smart move. He’ll be more inclined to take less money, knowing that St. Louis is be able to pick up a young defender who can grow into the Blues’ system much as he did.

However you look at it, scratching Jackman now is the right move for the club, whether or not it’s a popular decision.

Next: Blues Mock Draft: Round One

More from Bleedin' Blue

Home/Editorials