The St. Louis Blues have a busy offseason ahead, and general manager Doug Armstrong has quite a few decisions to make as the summer months draw nearer. One of his tasks entails him to make decisions on players who are due to be re-signed, both restricted and unrestricted free agents.
Such players, if they don’t re-sign, will walk in free agency, and considering who the Blues have slated to be unrestricted free agents, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to cut ties with all of them. But there are also players whose contracts expire next season, and they will be eligible for contract extensions when July 1st arrives.
Considering the Blues current cap space, it would be tough to see him signing every player about to become eligible for an extension this summer to contracts that will kick in next year until he has a better idea of what the projection will look like in 2025-26. To be more accurate, there is a good chance Armstrong signs none of those who will be mentioned below and in the upcoming slides.
Will any St. Louis Blues players eligible for extensions receive one?
This doesn’t mean Armstrong won’t at least throw around the idea and sign at least one of the five players mentioned. That particular player enjoyed an unprecedented breakout year, and it could be just the beginning of a successful career in Gateway City.
But before we talk about them, let’s first discuss one seasoned veteran who has been a staple on this team over the past three seasons and one who will look to prove he should remain part of the organization even as a new wave of players comes to town.
We’ll also talk about a couple of niche players and where they currently stand, plus another who also saw extended time in the NHL for the first time in his career. So, how close is each player to earning an extension, and are any of them worthy of signing a long-term deal before the regular season begins in October?