Former St. Louis Blues Adam Cracknell Returns To NHL

ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 28: Marcus Kruger #16 and Brandon Bollig #52 of the Chicago Blackhawks poke check the puck away from Adam Cracknell #79 of the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center on December 28, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO - DECEMBER 28: Marcus Kruger #16 and Brandon Bollig #52 of the Chicago Blackhawks poke check the puck away from Adam Cracknell #79 of the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center on December 28, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Blues might be done for this season, but they’ll be back. A former member of the franchise will be back too, just not with the Note.

The St. Louis Blues end to the 2019-20 season was less than satisfactory. They went into the playoffs with lofty expectations and saw those burn up in flames.

The old saying, especially before the Blues won the Stanley Cup, was always at least there’s next year. St. Louis will return and hopefully right the wrongs of the pandemic-affected season.

Returning as well, just not with the Blues, is former Blues forward Adam Cracknell. The former St. Louis forward just signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Edmonton Oilers.

It’s an interesting decision by the Oilers to look to Cracknell. It might be a signal they are trying to get a little more feisty just the same way the Tampa Bay Lightning did when they signed Pat Maroon.

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Cracknell is not as known for jawing or starting things like Maroon. In fact, he rarely took that many penalties.

However, he was more of a physical player, in that same vein.

At 35 years old, this is likely a last chance for him to make some impact in the NHL. Things didn’t go all that great after leaving St. Louis.

After parts of four seasons in St. Louis, where the most games he played in one season was 24, Cracknell bounced around. He went from Columbus to Vancouver, Edmonton, Dallas, the New York Rangers and a brief stop in Anaheim.

He actually played more games with the Stars than the Blues, despite being there only a season and a handful of games the next year. Cracknell spent 2019-20 playing with Kunlun Red Star in the KHL, where he netted 10 goals and 24 points in 52 games.

Given the fact his contract is two way, there is no guarantee he will make the Oilers out of camp or be used as anything more than an extra to help with injuries. However, we thought the same of Troy Brouwer when the Blues brought him in and he actually proved to be a good signing and contributed in the 2020 playoffs.

We here at Bleedin’ Blue wish Cracknell all the best and success in the NHL. He can do as well as he wants, as long as the Oilers are not playing the Blues in the playoffs.