Signing 39-year-old to one-year, $775,000 contract with incentives that could make it worth $3 million means St. Louis will have to make decision on someone
ST. LOUIS — So the St. Louis Blues came a bit out of left field on Wednesday when they signed veteran defenseman Ryan Suter to a one-year contract.
The 39-year-old is a left-handed d-man, which is of use for this group, adds a ninth contract on the blue line that carries a one-way deal, and that becomes a crowded fixture.
Suter joins Colton Parayko, Justin Faulk, Torey Krug, Nick Leddy, Scott Perunovich, Matthew Kessel, Tyler Tucker and Pierre-Olivier Joseph all carrying one-way contracts for the 2024-25 season
Something will have to give, but what?
On the left side, there’s Leddy, Krug, Perunovich, Tucker and now Suter. Who goes? Who stays?
Let’s break it down:
* The 33-year-old Leddy has two years remaining on his deal at a $4 million cap hit with a full no trade clause this season and a 16-team, modified NTC for next season. The chances of him waiving are marginal at best, if at all, and the Blues liked his game with Parayko last season.
Leddy’s contract isn’t as burdensome, if you want to call it that, as some others might be, which makes it feel like he isn’t going anywhere.
* Krug, 33, has three years left on his contract with a $6.5 million cap hit and like Leddy, has a full NTC for the upcoming season and he would have to give his OK to be dealt, and while there’s always a possibility if it’s to a desired destination, here’s another marginal, if at all, chance of the player waiving with full control for this season before a modified 15-team no-trade list kicks in.
The Blues tried this last summer with the Philadelphia Flyers and Krug nixed it. He has every right to do it again this summer.
* Could they coax Faulk into waiving his full NTC?
It’s doubtful, but not out of the realm of possibility, much like Leddy and Krug. And Faulk, like those two, also has control over his contract for another year before he has a modified 15-team no-trade list that kicks in July 1 of next year.
It would subtract from the right side of the D, but then one of the lefties could move over to play his off side.
Again, highly unlikely, but with Faulk also carrying a $6.5 million cap hit, something worth mentioning.
* Now that brings us to the guys on one-year deals (Perunovich, Tucker and Joseph).
These are the most logical of choices. Each (Perunovich, $1.15M; Joseph, $925,000; and Tucker, $800,000) can become a restricted free agent after the upcoming season.
The Blues just signed Joseph as an unrestricted free agent to join brother Mathieu Joseph, acquired last week from the Ottawa Senators, so it’s likely a safe bet to rule him out of the equation.
That leaves Perunovich and Tucker, each needing waivers now to be assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds. It’s fair to say Tucker would have the most realistic chance to clear should that be the alternative, but one never knows.
Will the Blues begin the season with 13 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies, or go with 14-7-2? They would more likely carry two extra d-men unless … they trade one or multiple.
Should the Blues be able to trade one of the veterans should one waive his NTC, that would be the most ideal situation and save on cap space, but they would also likely have to take a contract back and sweeten the pot, aka the Kevin Hayes trade.
Trading Perunovich and/or Tucker, should they go that route, would be the easiest situation. They wouldn’t cost much, and being under team control would be something that’s appealing to another team, and each carries a modest cap hit.
Any way the Blues look at it, something will need to be done, because bringing in Suter, even for a year, will take ice time away from someone.
