There was some big news in the Central Division on Wednesday afternoon, when the Utah Mammoth decided to pour a good chunk of their future funds into a rising star. Logan Cooley, who is in his third season in the NHL, got a contract extension with the red-hot Utah club for the next eight years, with an AAV of $10 million.
As the news started to circle the web, every NHL team had to look at its young stars and start to gauge what they can be worth as their Entry Level Contracts start to expire. For the St. Louis Blues, there is one player that immediately jumped off the page, even though his is the second-year of his ELC.
What kind of numbers will Snuggerud be looking at next season, and will they be comparable to Cooley?
Snuggerud has made an impact already
Looking at Cooley, he appeared in all 82 games with Phoenix in 2023-24 as a rookie, and then in 75 games last season with the Utah Hockey Club. In 2023-24, he had 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points before jumping up to 25 goals and 40 assists for 65 points last season. It now appears that with this new lucrative deal, he is improving even more with eight goals and four assists for 12 points in 11 games in 2025-26.
Snuggerud was 20 when he signed his ELC, so his 2024-25 campaign burned the first year. But, it was a necessary move as we all got to see what kind of player he could be with the late-season heroics and playoff performance.
This season, Snuggerud has had more good than bad, but the growing pains are starting to stick out a little more. In 10 games, with a Blues team that cannot seem to figure itself out, he has three goals and three assists for six points.
Much like the rest of the lineup, Snuggerud has been pushed up and down the lines with almost every game. He has had to adapt very early on to the quick changes in teammates.
What kind of deal would he get?
It all really depends on this season. If Snuggerud can replicate Cooley's statline of over 40+ points and follows that up with a consistent year in 2026-27, the eight-year deal will likely fall to No.21. The AAV, however, with all other cap space accounted for, will not mirror that $10 million mark.
The theme with the Blues top-six forwards is hovering around $8 million. Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, and Jordan Kyrou are all at $8 miliion or so. Snuggerud should be the fourth player to join that list at some point next season.
Had Cooley not gotten $10 million a year, Snuggerud's next deal might have been cheaper.