St. Louis Blues Free Agent Frenzy: Washington Capitals

As the second round of the playoffs continues, some free agents are worth their weight in gold to their teams. It’s a good reminder that they are not only assets to their teams, but assets that will become available over the summer as RFAs or UFAs.

With the upheaval we are certain to see in the St. Louis Blues club come this summer, the Blues are likely have a number of spaces open up for new players not only to shake things up and bring about a change in culture, but hopefully also a change in postseason records.

Next: Blues Free Agent Frenzy: Minnesota

This series selects one free agent (restricted or unrestricted) from each team currently still in the race for the Cup and examines how they would fit on the St. Louis Blues, both play-wise and cap-wise.

What’s Available

There is an unusual amount of largess available to choose from this season, with Joel Ward, Jay Beagle, and Braden Holtby all entering UFA status this summer. Ward is a right-handed right wing who adds size and a reputation for coming in clutch when the stakes are high. He is not, however, a regular visitor at the net, scoring only 19 goals and 15 assists over the regular season. Assuming the second-line STL line continues as-is, Ward would be a good third-line winger for the Blues.

Jay Beagle is a similar player, but scored even less than Ward over the regular season. He is proving, however, to be someone who pulls it out in the playoffs. Beagle is a solid fourth-liner in goals and assists scored, but his ability at suppressing and blocking shots is that of a second-liner. Ward, however, is even more impressive, crossing into first-liner territory with his blocked and suppressed shots.

However, Braden Holtby might be the real prize when it comes to the St. Louis Blues.

Braden Holtby

The Blues have had their fair share, and then some, of goaltender woes over the past couple of seasons, beginning with Halak, continuing with Miller and ending with the three-goalie circus that was December and January over this season. That’s not even mentioning Hitchcock removing Elliott from the starter’s position in the postseason and swapping Allen in, an untried, untested goalie who had seen a handful of minutes in one playoffs game previously before being pulled.

It didn’t work out terribly for Allen, who stepped up for much of the first-round series against the Minnesota Wild, but it didn’t end in a series win for the Blues. Chances are pretty good we’ll be swapping goalies with one team or another, and Braden Holtby’s status as UFA on top of his performance this series makes him pretty darn appealing.

Holtby’s great at not over-committing to a shot, giving him time to get ready for a rebound. He’s made some impressive saves this season, not least of which was this beauty from Game 3 against the Rangers’ Rick Nash.

Holtby came in seventh in the league overall in save percentage over the regular season, registering .923 and 41 wins in 73 games.

He’s known to be quick, love his glove hand, and uses his athleticism to keep his team in the game when there are defensive lapses, which this year’s Blues could have used for sure. He’s a very physical player, and at 25, has a year and a bit more development on Allen, which would preserve Allen’s position as backup goaltender and give him more time to improve.

The stumbling block might be Holtby’s price. He’s a 25-year-old UFA who’s dueling it out with Henrik Lundqvist, and winning, at the moment. If Holtby goes for less than $20 million over four years, I’ll be shocked.

Can the Blues afford to make him an offer?

The current amount they’re paying their goalies says they may not be interested in making that kind of a fiscal commitment, especially with Tarasenko to consider.

Next: Blues Soliloquy: I Can't Go On; I'll Go On

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