St. Louis Blues: Team is Lucky Kevin Shattenkirk Declined Extension

St. Louis Blues fans, did you really think we were done? Did you think once Kevin Shattenkirk was finally traded, the dramatic saga would be over?

It has now been two days since the St. Louis Blues shipped defensman Kevin Shattenkirk to the Washington Capitals. The majority reaction has been frustration rather than celebration.

That’s not because Shattenkirk is gone. It was an inevitable move we all saw coming. Rather, the frustration has been that the Blues saw a lackluster return for the prolific scorer. In my opinion, it’s somewhat justified (I really like the first round pick).

All of that frustration has been directed toward General Manager Doug Armstrong for the deal.

And rightfully so.

Personally, I am not a fan of how the Shattenkirk Saga was handled. I think waiting until the final days to trade the best player on the NHL market hurt the Blues. The team isn’t a Cup contender this year. Trading Shattenkirk sooner would have netted the Blues a slightly better return. It could have been an advantage to have some forethought.

But now, I find myself pissed off for a new reason.

According to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Blues offered Kevin Shattenkirk an eight-year extension last summer. But, the free-agent-to-be declined and told the organization he wanted to move on. He was too frustrated with his role or lack thereof.

I’m not upset that Shattenkirk turned the Blues down.

I’m irritated that Doug Armstrong offered such a massive extension. He thought a move like that, given the team’s current roster makeup and contracts, was a good idea. Are you serious?

Let’s pretend Kevin Shattenkirk had a different reaction. Let’s say he was adamant about staying and took that eight year offer. Given his talent and similar league contracts, the Blues would probably have been looking at a $50 million commitment or around $6.5 million per year. Maybe it would have been more.

That would have been crippling to this franchise.

Shattenkirk is worth that type of money right now, but Armstrong already has a handful of bad contracts hindering his team like Jay Bouwmeester‘s and Jori Lehtera‘s.

It’s an insane amount of money to pledge to yet another right-handed defenseman for so long. The team is already committed to captain Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko is about to get his first taste of a real payday this summer.

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The supposed length of the deal is disgusting. If given an eight year extension, Kevin Shattenkirk would have been still raking in the money with St. Louis at age 36. The Blues already made a similar mistake committing almost $6 million per year to Alexander Steen until he turns 37. Bouwmeester is locked up until he turns 36.

Players at those ages aren’t as effective as they were before. They will be a problem down the road.

So, Armstrong continues to make (or try to make) terrible decisions for the St. Louis Blues’ future. His decisions up until now put the Blues in this tight situation they face. Now, I applaud the man for coming here and helping the Blues earn 20 playoffs wins during his reign. But come on, absurdities like this have got to stop.

And this would all be less disastrous if he was making other moves to help the team in the present. But, that hasn’t happened either.

The St. Louis Blues are just really lucky that Shattenkirk declined the extension, given the terms and the suitable alternatives they have to fill the hole.

Colton Parayko’s role now grows greatly. He can finally receive the Top Four minutes that he’s earned and he can use them to improve. The big guy moving up also provides an opportunity for a guy like Jordan Schmaltz to maybe have an impact. Next season, a young skill defenseman would help with both cap space issues and this team’s “transition phase.”

Next: St. Louis Blues Morning Links 3/1/17

I’m so glad this extension didn’t happen. However, I’m not glad the Blues still have a General Manager who thinks piling up these absurd contracts is good for the team. It is starting to seem like he really doesn’t think of the later consequences to his decisions.

Then again, I don’t think Doug Armstrong will be around to deal with the contract messes later on anyways. Maybe he knows it too and he just doesn’t have to care anymore?

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