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St. Louis Blues: Clayton Keller Contract Is Bad News For Brayden Schenn

By Jason Martin

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 12: Arizona Coyotes' Clayton Keller looks to make a pass during the second period of an NHL hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and the Arizona Coyotes on March 12, 2019, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Tim Spyers/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 12: Arizona Coyotes' Clayton Keller looks to make a pass during the second period of an NHL hockey game between the St. Louis Blues and the Arizona Coyotes on March 12, 2019, at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Tim Spyers/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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With St. Louis Blues forward Brayden Schenn looking for a new contract next season, a good benchmark could be the new deal Clayton Keller received from Arizona.

Brayden Schenn will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season, and offseason extensions have to be on his, and the St. Louis Blues mind, with the latest being Clayton Keller’s deal.

Keller’s extension was announced today by the Arizona Coyotes. The new deal is for eight years and is worth $57.2 million. His new deal won’t take a massive hit until next season when he will earn $7.15 million a year.

Schenn, meanwhile, will earn $5.125 million this season and is due for a considerable pay raise. He has been exactly what the Blues ordered when they acquired him from Philadelphia two years ago, and he will be rewarded for it.

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Schenn missed 10 games for the Blues last season, but he managed to score 17 goals and net 37 assists. His 54 points landed him third on the team in that category.

54 points won’t get you a big contract like Keller’s and Keller being 21 years old has a lot to do with the term of the deal.

However, playing on the first line of a Stanley Cup-winning team will get you a nice pay raise.

The biggest complication facing the Blues’ ability to resign Schenn next season is Alex Pietrangelo‘s pending UFA status. It’s unlikely the Blues will be able to resign both players, and the fact that Pietrangelo serves as the club’s captain doesn’t help Schenn at all.

Pietrangelo will likely net around $8-9 million next season, which will make him the highest-paid player on the Blues roster.

That honor currently belongs to both Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly who both make $7.5 million a year. If the Blues think the same way I do, then they don’t value Schenn at a near $8 million player.

However, this doesn’t mean other teams don’t consider Schenn to be worth that much money. He is clearly a great player that is capable of playing in anyone’s top-6 and can be a force on the power play.

Many contracts have been handed out this offseason to forwards that were noteworthy for Schenn and St. Louis. The most ridiculous deal was what the Flyers gave Kevin Hayes.

The Flyers gave Hayes a six-year deal, giving him an absurd $7.142 million a year. This is close to what I see Schenn earning in free agency next season, but he is clearly a better player than Hayes, so if he is smart, he will ask for more.

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There are so many moving parts when it comes to resigning Schenn. However, Keller getting a major deal worth $7.15 a year doesn’t bode well for the Blues keeping Schenn past this season.

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