The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks have been bitter rivals for decades. A lot of turbulence between these two clubs, especially when it came down to getting an edge over the other for making the playoffs.Â
Nowadays, both teams are not in the contender category, but on their way there. The Blues and Blackhawks are both relying on youth to lead the way, and one team just locked up its superstar for a long time and for a lot of money.Â
Connor Bedard, who is going to be missing a bit of time to start the year after having shoulder surgery, just signed a 5-year, $15 million AAV deal to be a pain in the Blues' side. How does this affect things with the Blues youth group that will soon be RFAs?Â
Let’s talk about it.Â
Pending RFAs will get paid well
Looking at who is entering the last year of their initial deal, or is designated to be Restricted Free Agents, it is a pretty lengthy list. Jimmy Snuggerud highlights the bunch, with Jake Neighbours and Jonathan Berggren needing new deals as well. On the defensive side, it is a little more forgiving, as Logan Mailloux is the lone pending RFA.Â
With a salary increase due up before next season, expect that extra cash to be used to retain all four of those players. Each has a specific part in the next era of this core group, and the Blues are going to need them to continue on this journey back to prominence.Â
Bedard is a generational talent, and nobody on this roster is worth $15 million a year. But as the Blues don’t even have anyone over $10 million AAV, that can change with another promising year out of Snuggerud. After a successful first go-around in the NHL, he could easily fall into that group of players that earn that much.Â
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