St. Louis Blues Sign Brayden Schenn To Schennsational Extension
By Jason Martin
The St. Louis Blues and general manager Doug Armstrong prove once again they are one of the best front offices’ in the league by extending forward Brayden Schenn.
If you thought St. Louis Blues general manager Armstrong was a real-life wizard after trading for and extending Justin Faulk, then those suspicions may have just been confirmed after the team announced an eight-year extension for Brayden Schenn.
We rallied behind the concept of Armstrong being the best in the league early this offseason, and even though this move doesn’t count toward an offseason move, I think it is safe to say that for the second-straight year, the Blues won the summer.
You can already hand over the GM of The Year award and send it to 14th and Clark, because Army pulled a rabbit out of his hat once again and it sets up the team for more long term success.
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In total, Schenn will make $52 million over the next eight years as a St. Louis Blue. The deal will take him into his age 36 season, which is concerning, but not the end of the world when you look at how his contract is structured.
Schenn will make a flat $8 million for two years starting next season. In year three, his AAV will drop to $5.2 before going back up to $8 million in years four and five.
Starting in his year 34 season, Schenn will make $6.5, $4.3 and $4 million. It’s clear that Armstrong has learned his lesson with aging players and big deals.
Blues fans often point to the Alexander Steen contract, and at age 35, Steen is currently making $5.75 million. In comparison to Schenn’s new deal, he will be making $4.3 million during his age 35 year.
His new deal also keeps the Schenn, Jaden Schwartz, and Vladimir Tarasenko line operational for at least the next four years. St. Louis’ first line has the potential to be one of the best lines in the league on any given night.
Eight years at $52 million is an incredible term for a player of Schenn’s caliber. We saw players who are not as productive as Schenn make much more money during free agency this offseason, so seeing him take a pay cut opens up so many opportunities for St. Louis in the future.
Speaking of the future. The immediate question is what will happen to Alex Pietrangelo. A $52 million contract is not insignificant, though, with the creativity of Armstrong, I fancy the Blues chances of keeping the captain.
The Blues have roughly $10 million coming off the books after this season. Pietrangelo’s contract is up as well as Jay Bouwmeester‘s $3.25 million.
Schenn decided to go term over AAV, but Pietrangelo is going to get his money, and it’s not going to be cheap, though this doesn’t mean a deal won’t get done.
It’s hard to see exactly where Pietrangelo will fit into the Blues cap space in the future. However, we know one thing, if a deal gets done, Armstrong will be hailed once again as one of the best GM’s in the league.
Next. Faulk Deal Changes The Outlook Of The Franchise. dark
When looking at this without analyzing how this affects Pietrangelo, it is a great deal for the team. Schenn is an amazing player who will hopefully be producing at the same level into his mid-30s.