One dream, one realistic, and one bargain player the St. Louis Blues can sign in NHL free agency
The St. Louis Blues enter NHL free agency with the option to bolster their forward units, but which three players should they target the most?
Keep restructuring the team, or go for it while you still can? That’s the looming decision for St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, and since he had a team that made a strong run under then-interim coach and current head coach Drew Bannister, maybe it was enough to convince him to try his hand in NHL free agency.
Of course, Armstrong would like to make a splash if he enters July looking to sign some talent from the outside, and there is one ‘dream’ free agent he can lure to Gateway City. No, they aren’t a big name, but for the sake of the Blues current lineup, such a player would be an outstanding addition.
There is also a player listed who they would have a realistic chance of signing, one who has been a journeyman throughout an otherwise successful career. Also present is a bargain free agent who may not score much, but his overall game would help St. Louis on its lower lines.
Dream Free Agent: Teuvo Teravainen, Carolina Hurricanes
I can see the Carolina Hurricanes doing all they can to keep Teuvo Teravainen in Raleigh, but until he’s re-signed to an extension, I’m assuming he can land in 32 different spots, and St. Louis is no different. I wouldn’t call Teravainen a star player despite the ‘dream’ label, but he’s nevertheless one of the more solid talents you will find playing well on both ends of the ice. Even if he falls short of elite status, solid is what the Blues need right now if they plan on improving from last season.
He won’t come cheap, but Alexander MacLean of Dobber Hockey also doesn’t have an expensive projected cap hit for him, which clocks in at just under $4 million. For a team whose cap space rests at just under $16 million, the Blues could easily fit someone like Teravainen in if he’s available in July.
His presence would give the Blues another 20-plus goal scorer, and for a player who saw just 35 goals go by while he was on the ice at even strength through 76 regular season games, you can also take it as an indicator of how good Teravainen is in his team’s own end of the ice. Further, he’s more than just a 5-on-5 or even strength player, having seen nearly 300 minutes of special teams play.
We know St. Louis can’t enter the 2024-25 season with the current state of their special teams. So, given his ability to play effective hockey while short-handed - seven on-ice goals for - and at 5-on-4, in which he was on the ice for 27 goals, Teravainen would be one of the better pickups for the Blues this offseason.
Realistic Free Agent: Anthony Duclair, Tampa Bay Lightning
As a player who’s seen ice time in many NHL lineups, someone like Anthony Duclair could end up as a good fit just about anywhere. But the reason I have him as the ideal realistic free agent comes from a pair of reasons. The first one is obvious, as he won’t cost a ton of money in cap space to bring in, and another reason is that after a 239-goal season, few teams need complementary scoring more than the Blues.
Had Duclair played in 56 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning and 17 for the San Jose Sharks instead of the opposite occurring, there’s a chance he would have garnered recognition as one of the league’s better scorers. While I doubt he would hit an 18.6 shooting percentage mark with the Blues, considering their inconsistencies with the puck, Duclair’s presence would add much-needed depth scoring, whether he’s registering goals or logging helpers.
Assuming they keep him in town, Pavel Buchnevich is an above-average scorer, while Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas, and Jake Neighbours are just getting started. Recent history shows just how well Duclair plays when he’s got strong scoring units around him, which was what he had during his time with the Lightning and even throughout his stint with the Florida Panthers.
Without Duclair, the Blues overall scoring will still improve thanks to their younger players adding another year to their respective experience. But if the Blues signed someone like Duclair or an equivalent player, look for their top scorers to perform at an even higher level.
Bargain Free Agent: Eric Robinson, Buffalo Sabres
I remember laughing a little when Kevyn Adams “answered” a contingent of Buffalo Sabres fans urging him to “do something” by trading for Eric Robinson. Robinson appeared in just seven NHL games last season before the Columbus Blue Jackets traded him to the Sabres, where he finished the year with just 10 points in a combined 47 games for both clubs.
But what Robinson did well is what landed him in the “bargain free agent” category in this article, and it involved some strong supplementary defense and his relentless approach to the game that saw him attacking the crease when helping his linemates move the puck. In those 40 games with Buffalo, Robinson saw just 15 goals go by his netminder when on the ice at even strength, and he finished the year above 50 percent in the Corsi.
A 92.6 on-ice save percentage in the same situation also jumps out, which further indicates upper-echelon defense from the winger. And it’s something the Blues need to see from their entire team. That would also make a player like Robinson more valuable on the fourth line, as would his physical style.
Overall, there would be a lot of raised eyebrows if Doug Armstrong signed a player like Robinson to a deal, given his status as a part-time player this year and the fact he lost his spot in the Blue Jackets lineup before he was traded. But his overall upside in what was a redemption run with the Sabres showed he could be valuable, even if he’s not a scorer.
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