"Although there has been no formal announcement from prospective Blues owner Matthew Hulsizer or the club regarding their purchase agreement, sources tell the Post-Dispatch that the two sides are still working to complete the deal.

Hulsizer, CEO of Chicago-based financial-services firm PEAK6, signed an agreement with the Blues on Oct. 28, and if the deal closes, he would become the majority owner of the franchise. Sources say that Hulsizer would have 70 percent control of the club under the agreement, while Blues chairman Dave Checketts would hold the remaining 30 percent, although Checketts would be an investor and have no hand in hockey operations.

The sale price for the package, which includes the Scottrade Center lease, the Blues' top minor-league affiliate in Peoria, Ill., and the Peabody Opera House, is listed at about $180 million.

Checketts' investment needed to close the deal is $20 million, according to sources, and if that would entitle him to 30 percent of the Blues, it suggests that the total equity in the deal is about $60 million. It's unknown how much of the final purchase price the new owners would have to finance, but if Hulsizer and Checketts were able to secure financing for half of the sale, which is common, that would make the actual purchase price closer to $120 million to $130 million.

Two weeks after sources confirmed to the Post-Dispatch that a purchase agreement had been signed, neither Hulsizer nor the team has acknowledged the deal publicly. It's believed that a formal announcement is pending because of contingencies in the deal that need to be satisfied, specifically the financing."