Steven Santini signs two-year, two-way contract extension with Blues

Defenseman Steven Santini signed a two-year, two-way contract extension with the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday afternoon at a cap hit of $700,000 per year. General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Doug Armstrong made the announcement on Tuesday, according to NHL.com.

Santini, now 26 years old, was originally signed by the Blues as a free agent on October 10, 2020. The 6-foot-2, 207-lb defenseman has appeared in one game with the Blues and five games with the AHL’s Utica Comets thus far this season.

Santini most recently played for the Nashville Predators in the 2019-20 NHL season. He struggled to make an impression on the Predators, appearing in just two games and spending most of his Predators tenure with their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, in Milwaukee. The Predators eventually placed him on unconditional waivers and bought out the remaining year of his contract.

Santini was originally drafted 42nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2013 NHL Draft. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils on April 9, 2016. As a member of the Devils, he recorded 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) in 114 games played along with 53 penalty minutes.

Santini played college hockey for the Boston College Eagles from 2013-16. He recorded 35 points (five goals, 30 assists) in 98 games played along with 122 penalty minutes.

This is a depth signing for the Blues, plain and simple. It took an injury riddled defense to see Santini recalled, and it will probably take another injury to see him slot back into the lineup any time soon.