St. Louis Blues: Should Nikita Alexandrov receive the same extension as Scott Perunovich?

First, let's note that Nikita Alexandrov is a restricted-free agent. In simple terms, even if he garners attention from outside teams, the St. Louis Blues hold the upper hand and can regain his services.

Is Alexandrov a prized prospect? Drafted in the second-round of the 2019 draft, the German-Russian native played quite well in the QMJHL league.

He also had a good season in 2021-22 with the Springfield Thunderbirds and topped his success in 2022-23.

Springfield Thunderbirds:

2021-22: 67 games, 12 goals, 18 assists, 30 points.
2022-23: 41 games, 19 goals, 19 assists, 38 points.
2023-24: 7 games, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points.

His success has been limited in the NHL, but so has his ice time.

St. Louis Blues:

2022-23: 28 games, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points, 9:48 TOI.
2023-24: 23 games, 0 goals, 2 assists, 2 points, 8:31 TOI.

Considering his AHL performance, there is a strong case for offering him a contract extension.

Honestly, even his performance with the Blues in 2022-23 supports his value. He recorded 7 points in 28 games, only playing 9:48 on average.

He's 23 years old and knows Drew Bannister well, having played extensively under him in the AHL.

His 2022-23 stats are similar to Zack Bolduc's in 2023-24:

Zack Bolduc

25 games, 5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points. But Bolduc played 2-3 minutes longer on average.

St. Louis Blues: We haven't fully discovered Alexandrov yet

Sure, if Dalibor Dvorsky is ready and earns a spot, the nod goes to him.

But if we see some offensive players depart, like Sammy Blais, Kasperi Kapanen, or another player in a trade, Alexandrov should be considered for the opening-day roster.

Of course, he needs to prove himself in training camp, but given his success in the AHL and familiarity with Drew Bannister, he may be a true underdog to whom we need to start paying more attention to.

Armstrong should lock him up like he did with Peronuvich.