Stop me if you've heard this one before. The Blues, desperate for depth at forward, have signed to a one-year deal a former NHL player who had a tough time finding a free agent offer he found suitable in the off season and tried to reinvent his game in Russia in the KHL only to falter and break ties with his team over there early and yearn again for NHL glory. And just like when the Blues signed Marek Svatos, they now have to pass Kyle Wellwood through waivers for him to join the club later this week.
The rumor started at STL Today in the Blues Talk Forum where a brand new user named Wellwood posted that he or she saw Wellwood walking around the Club Level at the game Monday night and that a contract was expected sometime today. Much pessimism ensued. And then TSN's Bob McKenzie on Twitter this morning confirmed the one-year deal and the waiver issue.
You might be aware that Wellwood was a whipping boy in Toronto and Vancouver with lots of amateur comedians making fun of Wellwoods'...fitness level. There are more than 8,000 returns when you do a Google search for "Kyle Wellwood is fat." While the former 18-goal scorer (that inspires some confidence, doesn't it?) isn't exactly skinny, he's no 2005 Keith Tkachuk. Unfortunately, that goes for his talent and goal scoring ability.
When Wellwood was waived by the Maple Leafs and he was claimed by Vancouver, the biting Down Goes Brown wrote an open letter to Wellwood. It's awesome.
It didn't have to be this way. All that Toronto fans ever wanted you to do was show a little bit of pride when you pulled that size XXL jersey over your head and looked down at the Maple Leafs logo trapped between your jiggling man boobs. But apparently that was too much to ask. So now you can look forward to wearing a different uniform every year for the rest of your career. And that's just if you stay in Vancouver.
In the end, the Blues need bodies. That's what explains T.J. Hensick's appearance in the lineup last night. That's why Phil McRae has been called up today. That's why everyone is so giddy about T.J. Oshie skating even though he might not be ready until after the All-Star Break at the end of the month. Kyle Wellwood will not reinvent himself with the St. Louis Blues. If he's lucky, he might have a good game, maybe earn one of the three stars after a timely goal or couple of assists, but when this team is healthy again (IF THIS TEAM IS HEALTHY AGAIN), Wellwood will be an afterthought at worst and a role player at best.
Or Nashville could claim him on waivers tomorrow.