Ivan Barbashev agrees to two year contract

It was concerning to think that Ivan Barbashev, so important a part of the Blues’ playoff run and Stanley Cup championship, could seriously be at risk for playing in the KHL next season. Doug Armstrong made it his goal to keep as many members of that Cup winning team together, and until August it looked like the two question marks were Barbashev and Pat Maroon. Maroon’s issue was that there wouldn’t be space for him on the team if Barbashev returned. Oskar Sundqvist got a nice raise and extension worth $2,750,000 a year for the next four seasons. Zach Sanford got two years at $1,500,000 a season.

Barbashev’s contrach would be somewhere between those two; regardless of what it was going to be it would be enough to force Maroon out. When Maroon signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, it was probably a sign that Armstrong was getting closer to a deal with Barbashev.

Today, the Blues announced a two-year deal with the forward. Surprisingly, he isn’t making as much as Sanford; each year of the term is worth $1,475,000. He, like Sanford, will be a RFA and in a position to work toward a higher salary at the end of the deal.

In 80 regular season games this season, Barbashev had 14 goals. 12 assists, and 26 points. The Blues have just $495,406 of cap space left.