Teams and fans would love for their franchise player, a player they drafted, to play for the team their entire career. The truth is that it has become a rarity in sports. There are too many factors that get in the way. Whether it is a player wanting more money, a team feeling the player is on the decline, a player/team relationship going sour, the list goes on.
St. Louis Blues fans are all too familiar with seeing their franchise player leave too soon. Bernie Federko should have retired as a one-franchise man. The same could be said about Alex Pietrangelo, Vladimir Tarasenko, and David Backes. It is no knock on them; there has only been one player in Blues history who had a lengthy career that never left. Bob Gassoff is another player drafted by the Blues who never played anywhere else, but he tragically passed away at the age of 24, and it did not feel right to include him on the list. Blues fans are hopeful that the next generation of Blues stars can break the cycle and add a couple more names to that list.
Brian Sutter
Brian Sutter is the lone Blues draft pick who played meaningful games with the franchise that never played for another team. He was the 20th pick in the 1976 NHL Amateur Draft, the same year as Federko. Sutter played his entire 779-game NHL career as a member of the Blues before a nagging back injury forced him to retire in 1988.
Sutter and Federko were a dynamic duo together. Federko, the elite playmaker, and Sutter, the lethal sniper. Sutter took some time to adjust to the NHL, putting up 36 points total in his first two seasons, but had a breakout year in his third campaign. He went from a career high of nine goals in a season to 41, finishing ninth in the league in goals.
Sutter was a consistent goalscoring threat his entire career, eclipsing the 30-goal mark six times. He set a career high in goals in the 1982-83 season when he scored 46. His time in St. Louis may have been overshadowed by playing alongside Federko, but Sutter was one of the faces of the franchise. The Blues acknowledged that, and shortly after his retirement in 1988, the team retired his number 11 jersey. He finished his Blues career with 303 goals and 636 points in 779 games.
Who could be added to the list
Blues fans are hopeful that some players could join Sutter on the list of drafted players who played their entire career with the franchise. A couple of current Blues could join that list.
Robert Thomas
Robert Thomas has a chance to join this list. He is only 26, but Thomas is the best player on the team and signed an eight-year extension just two years ago that will keep him in St. Louis till he is 31. He very well might be the future captain of the team once Brayden Schenn calls it a career. Barring any injuries or an unforeseen decline in play, he should be in St. Louis for the rest of his career.
Colton Parayko
Colton Parayko is another name that should end up on this list when he decides to hang up his skates. He has played his entire 10-year career in St. Louis, and with his contract running until he is 37, he might be the most likely player on the current roster to play his entire career as a member of the Blues.
Jordan Binnington
While it is rare for a goalie to play their entire career for one franchise, Jordan Binnington could be one of the very few who do so. Goalies seem to have an extra chip on their shoulders and want to prove that they still have something left in the tank. No goalie represents having a chip on their shoulders more than Binnington, but it is hard to see him playing for another team. What he did in 2019, helping the franchise win its first-ever Stanley Cup, should be enough to keep him in St. Louis for his whole career. At 32 years old, he is under contract for another two seasons, and a lot could happen in that time, but the franchise's all-time wins leader should never put on another team’s jersey.