Blues Rumors & News

Pro Hockey Rumors "The Winnipeg Jets have added some more forward depth, signing Austin Poganski to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry a salary of $750K at the NHL level. Poganski qualified for Group VI unrestricted free agency this season after spending the early part of his professional..." July 31

Bleacher Report "It's been a whirlwind week-plus in the NHL. The Seattle Kraken filled out their inaugural roster in the expansion draft, the next generation of stars arrived via the entry draft and dozens of players changed teams on Day 1 of free agency. July 31

The Score "Have you had a chance to catch your breath? July was a doozy of a month in the NHL. First came the Seattle expansion draft, next was the annual entry draft, then an epic opening day of free agency that generated more than 150 new contracts cumulatively worth more than $500..." July 31

MSN.com "The St. Louis Blues have reached an agreement with Ivan Barbashev on a new two-year contract, according to his agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Barbashev was a restricted free agent and eligible for salary arbitration this summer. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet..." July 30

Bleacher Report "Many of the NHL's top unrestricted free agents were signed within hours of this year's free-agent market opening at noon ET on Wednesday. With the salary cap remaining at $81.5 million for the 2021-22 campaign, teams with limited salary-cap space and roster needs to..." July 30

Bleacher Report "Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and musician Drake are set to be executive producers on the upcoming documentary Black Ice, which will focus on racism in hockey throughout its history, per Etan Vlessing of The Hollywood Reporter.  The film, from..." July 30

The Athletic "The NHL free-agent frenzy was back in a big way when the market opened on Wednesday. Plummeting revenues, season uncertainty and the flat cap all conspired to restrain player valuations last offseason but those concerns seem to have taken a back seat based on the amount of money..." July 29

TSN "The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Brandon Saad to a five-year, $22.5 million contract. Saad, 28, scored 15 goals and tallied 24 points in 44 games this season with the Colorado Avalanche after being acquired from Chicago last fall for Nikita..." July 29

Habs Eyes On The Prize "The Montreal Canadiens made their first big addition to the offence in free agency with the signing of winger Mike Hoffman to a three-year deal, worth $4.5 million a season. Hoffman will immediately improve a lacking Montreal power play, and add some more scoring depth to..." July 29

The Athletic "It’s been rather quiet on the Vladimir Tarasenko trade front — too quiet, a league source who is close to the situation told The Athletic on Wednesday. The source said emphatically that Tarasenko should have been traded by now and that..." July 29

TSN "The Seattle Kraken made three significant additions in free agency on Wednesday. The team signed goaltender Philipp Grubauer to a six-year, $35.4 million deal, forward Jaden Schwartz to a five-year, $27.5 million deal and centre Alexander Wennberg to a..." July 28

Bleacher Report "The NHL's annual free-agent market opens this year on Wednesday, July 28 at noon ET. Most of the top free agents won't be available for long. Many are usually signed before the end of the first day. A handful of notable free agents are already off the market, the most..." July 27

The Score "Free agency is the most popular way for NHL teams to try to improve their teams, but general managers often overpay and create salary-cap issues in the process. There are appropriate deals out there for all the players listed below, but these five unrestricted free agents appear prime..." July 27

Yardbarker "Elliotte Friedman is suggesting that a deal is all-but done between the Seattle Kraken and forward Jaden Schwartz. While the NHL’s newest team could have signed him and taken him as a draft pick from the St. Louis Blues, Seattle elected to go with defenseman Vince Dunn on the..." July 27

NHL.com "Pavel Buchnevich, who was acquired by the St. Louis Blues on Friday in a trade with the New York Rangers, has agreed to terms on a four-year, $23.2 million contract with the Blues. Buchnevich, 26, was acquired from the Rangers in exchange for Sammy Blais and a second-round pick in the..." July 27

Sportsnet "General Managers will be free to offer contracts to UFAs on Wednesday and anytime there are bidding wars, there are overpays. With a flat salary cap, avoiding contracts with lots of term and money for players likely to underperform them is critical. This is difficult to do in unrestricted free..." July 27

The Score "Nobody thought twice when the Florida Panthers signed forward Carter Verhaeghe to a two-year, $2-million contract last offseason. He'd just turned 25 and only had 13 points in 52 career NHL games to that point. However, it proved to be the best signing of the summer, as Verhaeghe..." July 27

The Score "A few marquee NHL pending unrestricted free agents appear likely to re-sign with their current clubs or have already done so. But several impact players may still opt for a change of scenery. While Alex Ovechkin isn't expected to hit the market and Taylor..." July 26

Sportsnet "Thanks to the expansion draft, there has been plenty of player movement since the Tampa Bay Lightning lifted the Stanley Cup three weeks ago. There’s about to be a whole lot more once unrestricted free agency opens on Wednesday. The list of big-name, pending UFAs is long and..." July 26

The Score "On the heels of last week's theatrics - an expansion draft and the two-day entry draft amid a flurry of trades - the NHL is set to enter its free-agency period. Below, in no particular order, theScore breaks down the five most interesting teams heading into free agency, which starts..." July 26

Sportsnaut "Throughout the season and throughout his career, Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been involved in several altercations, resulting in a long list of fines, ejections, and suspensions. As a result, a lot of controversy and conversation surrounds..." July 26

The Athletic "This idea began to take shape, as many ideas do, at a bar. In the spring of 2016, an English friend told me he wanted to better understand the NHL. I invited him to the Monarch Tavern in Toronto to watch multiple playoff games. July 26

The Athletic "The NHL offseason is moving now. The expansion draft and the entry draft are done. We’ve seen some huge trades that have moved out significant salaries. And some of the highest-profile buyouts that we’re likely to see in the NHL’s first buyout window..." July 25

Pro Hockey Rumors "Forward Nathan Walker and the St. Louis Blues have reportedly reached an agreement on a new multi-year contract. CapFriendly reports that Walker, an impending unrestricted free agent, will sign a two-year, two-way contract to remain with the Blues. The deal will carry the..." July 25

The Score "1. Dougie Hamilton True No. 1 defensemen in their prime like Hamilton rarely hit the open market. When they do, they get paid handsomely (see Pietrangelo, Alex). .psd-readMoreComponent{padding-top:15px;padding-bottom:15px;border-top:1px solid..." July 25

Pro Hockey Rumors "It may not be a Tuesday in October, but it isn’t the fourth Friday in June either. The 2021 NHL Entry Draft will again be a unique event and it is about far more than just the date. With the COVID-19 pandemic restricting many draft-eligible prospects from competing in full seasons and in..." July 24

NHL.com "The first round of the 2021 NHL Draft is in the books. Thirty-one players were selected on Friday. Rounds 2-7 will be Saturday (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN, SN NOW). NHL.com staff writer Adam Kimelman provides analysis of each pick from the first round. July 24

Yardbarker "After a disappointing playoff exit last season, the Boston Bruins are looking to add some reinforcements.  According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Bruins are among several teams interested in Arizona Coyotes center Christian..." July 23

Daily Faceoff "Happy NHL Draft Day 2021. There’s plenty on the move, so hurry up and dive in to read about the 30 Trade Targets in play before everything changes.   1. Jack Eichel Center, Buffalo Sabres Age:..." July 23

The Athletic "The St. Louis Blues are acquiring forward Pavel Buchnevich from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Sammy Blais and a 2022 second-round pick, a source confirmed to The Athletic on Friday. Buchnevich, 26, is a pending restricted free agent after tallying a career-best 48..." July 23

Sportsnet "According to several sources, Chicago and Columbus are taking another run at a Seth Jones trade. During the first attempt, the Blue Jackets discussed Kirby Dach or Alex DeBrincat as the centrepiece, but it wasn’t something the Blackhawks wished to..." July 23

SI "Gabriel Landeskog's future with the Colorado Avalanche appears uncertain with the July 28 start of NHL's free-agent market less than a week away. The 28-year-old left winger will soon become an unrestricted free agent if they fail to reach an agreement on a deal. The..." July 23

The Athletic "Weaponizing cap space. Get to know that phrase. It is likely going to be referenced quite a bit when it comes to the Seattle Kraken this offseason. Completing the expansion draft has left the Kraken with a number of questions about their roster. Kraken general manager Ron Francis and..." July 23

NHL.com "Vladimir Tarasenko could remain with the St. Louis Blues despite the forward's request to be traded, general manager Doug Armstrong said Thursday. "Oh no, I see there's certainly an outlook where I envision him putting on the jersey again," Armstrong...." July 22

Pro Hockey Rumors "The Blues have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that they’ve re-signed winger Nolan Stevens to a one-year, two-way contract.  The deal will pay $750K in the NHL and $100K in the minors. The 25-year-old..." July 22

Total Pro Sports "As the Seattle Kraken select their first roster of players in Wednesday’s NHL expansion draft, some of the city’s most famous athletes took center stage to announce their names. In attendance was Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird, Seattle Sounders FC forward Jordan Morris,..." July 22

Seattle Times "Forget floatplane landings, star power and every other rumored possibility that preceded Wednesday’s expansion draft event at Gas Works Park, where the Kraken unveiled its first chosen NHL players. The Kraken’s expansion selections, one from each of 30 teams, consisted..." July 22

NHL.com "The Seattle Kraken have a roster of 30 players and the rest of the offseason to finalize their first opening night lineup. "We're excited about what we have right now," general manager Ron Francis said Wednesday after the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft presented by Upper Deck...." July 22

The Athletic "The Seattle Kraken will announce all 30 selections at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday night, but reports from insiders around the hockey world are already coming in of which players will be moving to the Pacific Northwest. Here is the latest: Seattle Kraken expansion draft..." July 21

St. Louis Post-Dispatch "It's looking more and more like defenseman Vince Dunn is the pick for the Seattle Kraken in Wednesday night's expansion draft. The Kraken had to turn in their list of selected players to the NHL at 9 a.m. Central time, but all 30 picks by the NHL's 32nd franchise won't..." July 21

Pro Hockey Talk "The Seattle Kraken will announce their official roster on Wednesday with their expansion draft selections. They will select 30 players, one from each NHL team excluding the Vegas Golden Knights, to build initial current roster (the rules are here). July 21

Sportsnet "Welcome to 2021, where a fish tells us who's Kraken. (It was a rehearsal, but it also may have been one of the best promo ideas in recent memory.) We’re less than 24 hours from unveiling Seattle’s expansion picks, and here’s what’s out there: •..." July 21

Pro Hockey Rumors "Free agency is now just a few weeks away and many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market in late July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. The big focus in St. Louis is on a..." July 20

Bleacher Report "There were plenty of surprises over the weekend when teams made a flurry of moves ahead of the NHL roster freeze in anticipation of Wednesday's expansion draft. It quickly became apparent which players would be protected and which would be left exposed, and the official lists were..." July 20

NHL Trade Rumors "The news around the Montreal Canadiens hasn't been very positive of late, but it appears that could all be changing. Reports have surfaced suggesting Mike Hoffman is on the team's radar and could be signing a new contract with the Habs come July 28. The Blues appear to have a..." July 20

The Athletic "One of the topics that is always fun to debate ahead of the NHL Draft is whether a team will use their first-round pick to make a blockbuster trade. Will we see the Rangers or Blackhawks send away their picks as part of a package for Jack Eichel? Are the Flyers going to..." July 20

Bleacher Report "It's official: The Seattle Kraken are a thing. The NHL's newest team will take shape for its inaugural season this week, following submission of protected player lists Saturday by 30 of the league's other teams. July 19

Sportsnet "The protected lists have been revealed and so too has a shift in strategy by most teams when it comes to making players available for Wednesday’s expansion draft. Unlike the Vegas expansion draft of 2017, several teams have opted to protect their value contracts, young..." July 19

TSN "The Vegas Golden Knights took advantage of several other organizations trying to outsmart the expansion draft in 2017, engineering expensive “side deals” to protect certain players. The end result was maximum pain. Consequently, teams like the Florida..." July 19

NHL.com "The NHL's 2021-22 regular-season schedule will include a break for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, sources with knowledge of the schedule confirmed on Monday. The Olympic break is reportedly scheduled from Feb. 5-22, 2022. The schedule, which will be released on Thursday, is..." July 19