2009 NHL Free Agency Primer For The St. Louis Blues
The NHL realizes there is a ton of summer left before training camp starts, right? So there's really no good reason for free agency to open less than a week before the draft. But alas, it's already upon us with signings beginning Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how quickly players start agreeing to contracts after the period opens. Because teams and agents would never start talking early.
So the Blues with the buying out of Fragile Jay McKee's contract now have a little more cap room. They've got one glaring opening. Let's take a little closer look.
Pending Unrestricted Free Agents: Manny Legace, Trent Whitfield and Dan Hinote.
Pending Restricted Free Agents: B.J. Crombeen, Chris Porter, Steve Regier, Roman Polak, Jeff Woywitka, Steve Wagner.
Salary Cap Space: About $10 million. We think. The rookie contracts with potential bonuses built in makes it a little more difficult to get it right.
Blues' budget for payroll: Good question.
Key needs: Backup goaltender. Backup goaltender. Backup goaltender. And we think they're going cheap. There's been talk about Josh Harding, the restricted free agent in Minnesota. Judging by the Blues' response last summer when the Canucks went after David Backes and the number of young players who could hit RFA status in the next couple years, I don't think they want to go that route for fear of having the tables turned on them in short order. So they need a guy to spell the bearded yet shaved Chris Mason. And I think they learned their lesson last year signing an expensive goaltender that gives the incumbent goalie night sweats and fear of losing his job.
Oh, and they better sign Roman Polak or there's going to be some nasty shit on this blog in short order if another team comes in and snatches him up.
I guess they could use a puck-moving defenseman with the added adjective of affordable. And Paul Kariya and his $6 million contract will come off the books next year, so it's concievable they could go after a forward in that salary neighborhood, but I don't expect them to do that.
Potential targets: Ty Conklin was good enough to play backup to Chris Osgood. I'd think he's good enough to play backup for Mason. Craig Anderson is young and cheap. But he could be looking for a better chance to compete for the starting job. Antero Niitymaki would keep Gallagher up at night making sure his name was spelled right on every page of the paper. Curtis Joseph is available, right? That would be "fun."
Who would you like to see the Blues pursue? And if you say Marian "Non Smyth Trophy Winner" Hossa, be prepared to face some ridicule. Tell us down below in the comments.
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Comments
Completely agreed on bringing back Polak
Getting him back in the Note needs to be our top priority.
Honestly, some people keep talking about trying to get a top scorer, but I think the team is good going forward for now, or atleast when we get a backup goalie. Though a large part of me wants to just let Bishop have his chance. Save money for next off-season and try to take a shot at a real big target once Kariya is off the books?
by Novacain on Jun 30, 2009 12:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
ALSO
agree on polak, could anyone say maybe Polak threw Hossa off his game after that hit that put Hossa back on the IR? and i think Crombeen needs to be offered his offer sheet.
BISHOP needs full ice time to me which he will get in peoria not here in st louis, at least while Mason plays well. As for a back up Conklin would be manageable. other then that top scorer dont really need it, if Kariya stays healthy(lmfao) should be better offensively then last year.
I am pretty much stoked for this next season to arrive already
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
by DESTROYER on Jun 30, 2009 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Polak
He’s our priority. After that, Niitymaki would be the one I would go after, I think. I also like Biron, but he’s just to inconsistent. Regardless, a backup to Mason is what we need after Polak gets resigned. Once we get a goaltender see where we stand to go after a defenseman. Just please, not Zubov.
Barret Jackman is my hero.
Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
by BluesTiger on Jun 30, 2009 9:50 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Biron
wouldnt be bad but way to expensive for a back up dont need a repeat of last season with fragile minded legace…niitymaki wouldnt be bad i think thats where you go unless you go after the Wild’s goalie, but def resign Polak, and after that go after a forward not a defenseman
Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat
by DESTROYER on Jun 30, 2009 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Harding (the Wild goalie) is a RFA. I’d love to get him, but I wouldn’t want to risk the compensation
"I'm sorry we hurt their feelings"
-Barret Jackman
by Dooks on Jun 30, 2009 2:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree. Harding would be my ideal choice….but the RFA thing throws a huge wrench into the equation.
by Cornfed on Jun 30, 2009 9:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also I think that Harding has the biggest upside out of all the names being thrown around. And you know he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his career being Backstorm’s back-up. I think he’d be a great addition to the Blues and be an option to take over for Mason if his age catches up to him. And hold down the Blues net till some of these goal-tending prospects are ready.
by Cornfed on Jun 30, 2009 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ridicule shmidicule
I’d take Hossa. I’d love to see him not show up in the Finals for the Blues, because that would mean the Blues were actually in the Finals.
by forgetyerskatesdream on Jun 30, 2009 11:21 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Anderson
is easily the best choice out of the available goaltenders (UFAs) and if he is willing to accept playing backup or 1B to mason I would take him in a heartbeat over the rest
by namshite on Jun 30, 2009 12:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Alright, I'll say it.
Our top priority is not fucking up Free Agency.
Is that too much to ask?
"The world is getting to be such a dangerous place, a man is lucky to get out of it alive." -- W.C. Fields
by Donut King on Jun 30, 2009 3:57 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Mister Anderson...

"I'm sorry we hurt their feelings"
-Barret Jackman
by Dooks on Jun 30, 2009 4:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
so we need a puck moving defenseman via free agency too? didn’t we just draft like six of those over the past three years? and where would a $6 million dollar forward fit on the roster? this is a good team we’ve got now, we need the back up keeper, right, but we dont really need a lot of big pieces now. of course come deadline time, maybe thats a different story.
by bzgea2 on Jun 30, 2009 9:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

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