Blues Confirm Interest In Shanahan

by Brad Lee on Aug 15, 2008 9:54 AM CDT

Nice teef.

By Brad Lee

Holy Crap August sucks for writing a hockey blog. Nothing is going on so we have to write about getting secondhand Bobby Orr skates, bad Cardinals free agent signings and indoor soccer helping influence our interest in hockey. Hello non sequitor.

But today there is almost real Blues news. Kind of. Blues president John Davidson confirmed to Jeremy Rutherford of the Post-Dispatch that the team has thrown its hat into the ring for free agent forward Brendan Shanahan. Of course Shanahan told the New York Daily News that he's still focused on returning to the New York Rangers. And the Rangers are expected to have about $2 million in cap space, which could be enough to sign him although it's still not clear if the Rangers even want the 39-year-old back.

We mentioned Shanahan's signing as a possibility awhile back...and then in the next breath debunked it with a comment from Rutherford in one of his hockey chats saying there was no way Shanahan would be coming to the Blues. But with Shanny still sitting out there, we guess it could still happen. Maybe.

Davidson spoke to The Morning After on Team 1380 here in St. Louis this morning. Davidson said Shanahan has been waiting on the Rangers to make a decision...and the Rangers like the rest of the NHL are waiting on Mats Sundin. If the Rangers bring in the Swede, they'll have to clear salary cap room and there's no way they could afford Shanny.

"Sundin seems to be the key to the whole thing," Davidson said. When asked how long this stalemate could drag on with training camp next month, he said Shanahan can't remain patient and wait all summer. "I don't think he'll sit there and wait and wait and wait."

Forget for the moment that Shanahan married his friend Craig Janney's ex-wife and may have stolen her away while they were teammates on the Blues. A season ago Shanahan scored 23 goals and 23 assists in 73 games. Eleven of those goals came on the power play. Amazingly he still averaged more than 18 minutes of ice time per game. He's also developed into a solid penalty killer. Would a guy who has 650 career goals but who turns 40 in January have a big impact on this year's Blues squad? It would generate some buzz during a really long and boring summer. The female audience would most likely be in favor of him signing. And everyone knows the Blues have sucked since the lockout on the power play while two of their best penalty killers last season are now on different teams.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

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Comments

NO!

by LosBri on Aug 15, 2008 10:56 AM CDT reply actions

If it’s just a 1 year deal that doesn’t throw a wrench into the long term plans, hell, why not?

by Poor College Student on Aug 15, 2008 11:33 AM CDT reply actions

I’m just confused by this rumor… the man signed origionally signed with the Rangers because they had a good chance at winning the Cup. Now that Jagr jumped ship and is going to play in Europe, I would think Shanahan would opt to retire. why would he want to come here when we have almost no chance of even making the playoffs? esprcially when we pretty much only plan to use him as a mentor

by Dooks on Aug 15, 2008 1:10 PM CDT reply actions

i don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other. if they could pick up shanny cheap to be a leadership influence for the kids, that would be good. if not, i don’t think it’s a huge deal. my problem lies with the fact that, just over a month before trading camp, mats sundin is still virtually holding the nhl and several free agents hostage. just decide already, you fruit euro.

by Jessica on Aug 15, 2008 1:31 PM CDT reply actions

blues also confirm interest in:

the stanley cup

world peace

free beer

low ticket prices

cheap women

the spirit of brotherhood

eternia

2 1/2 men

marilyn monroe

and

being kind to small animals

by Childhood Trauma on Aug 15, 2008 2:29 PM CDT reply actions

What the hell. Go for it!!!

by JGB on Aug 15, 2008 2:47 PM CDT reply actions

Forget it, just let the kids play. We don’t need another middling 50 point scorer at the end of his career our there. Rebuilding stings and it takes a while, just get used to it and know its for the better in the long run. This wouldnt be a hockey move, it would be a nostalgia move and we’re trying to look to the future not stare back longingly into the past.

by bzg on Aug 15, 2008 3:09 PM CDT reply actions

Bring him. This guy is a fucking throw back and is a great influence. He’ll also back it up. I’d rather have him on the squad then #7.

by Answer Man on Aug 15, 2008 4:27 PM CDT reply actions

Just thought of something.

- On Thursday the Blues told Rutherford they were interested in Shanny and reached out to his agent.
- On Friday the paper runs the story. We run a story. TV and radio follow up with interviews, message boards have discussion.
- On Saturday single game tickets go on sale.

Well that’s convenient timing.

by Brad Lee on Aug 16, 2008 9:45 AM CDT reply actions

Brad:

My thoughts, exactly!!!

Let’s hope that’s all it is.

I’d rather have a ticket-sale scam than Brendan Shanahan!

by Milo on Aug 17, 2008 12:53 AM CDT reply actions

As a Rangers fan who saw most of the 73 games he played I will say I hope he signs with the Blues only so the Rangers don’t bring him back. There is no tread left on the tire. The only reason he logged so much ice time is the same reason Ryan Hollweg got any ice time, Tom Renney is as dumb as a brick. He has lost several steps and actually isn’t all that great on the PK, due mostly to his immobility. He got a lot of those goals early and then wore out in mid-December. He might do better in St. Louis if Murray manages ice time better than Tom Renney. I doubt he could be worse.

by Kyle on Aug 24, 2008 9:45 PM CDT reply actions