One pending free agent the St. Louis Blues can sign away from each of their Central Division rivals

Jake Lucchini, Forward/Minnesota Wild

There was hardly anybody worth considering on the Minnesota Wild, with the aging Alex Goligoski and Marc-Andre Fleury as the two most notable pieces. But defense and goaltending are the Blues strengths, so it makes no sense to add them to this list. 

Almost everyone else would make great organizational depth and nothing more, but Jake Lucchini could be the best of the rest. He has seen time with the big club this season, playing in 31 games so far while logging the penalty minutes (23) in favor of scoring - just three points and two goals. 

Should he enter unrestricted free agency and if Doug Armstrong were interested in bringing him to the organization, it’s likely you will see him spending more time with the Springfield Thunderbirds than with the Blues. But if injuries strike, someone like Lucchini could factor in as an early recall. 

He played well with the Iowa Wild this season, logging 23 points and 11 goals in 30 games, and this came one season after Lucchini scored 19 goals and 53 points with the Belleville Senators. If nothing else, an experienced AHLer like Lucchini would provide leadership to some of the Blues upcoming prospects, and that’s a valuable but underestimated quality.