Blues acquire Borgman from Leafs for Schmaltz in swap of defenseman

St. Louis saves $700,000 in cap savings with trade, deal 2012 

first-round pick that never could gain traction making it to the NHL 

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The made a move Thursday, one that gives two players a fresh start while alleviating some money off their salary cap when they shipped defenseman and former first-round pick Jordan Schmaltz to the Toronto Maple Leafs for fellow defenseman Andreas Borgman.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

The Blues acquired defenseman Andreas Borgman from Toronto in 

exchange for Jordan Schmaltz on THursday.

Schmaltz was the 24th pick in the 2012 NHL Draft but never could climb the depth chart with the Blues, who won their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history in June.

Schmaltz was going into the second year of a two-year contract that turned into a one-way for 2019-20 at $700,000, and with little to no chance at cracking the Blues defensive unit this season, he would have been placed on waivers or clear and be making $700,000 with the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League.

The cap savings currently leaves the Blues with just over $5 million with restricted free agents Joel Edmundson and Ivan Barbashev yet to sign.

Schmaltz, 25, had five assists in 42 regular-season games three seasons with the Blues, including 20 this past season; he had two assists but just wasn't going to be a fit in St. Louis and that was becoming increasingly evident.

In Borgman, 24, the Blues get a depth defenseman who signed a one-year, two-way contract in March for $700,000/$200,000. He spent all last season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and had 17 points (four goals, 13 assists). 

A left-handed d-man, Borgman was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Maple Leafs. He had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 48 games with the Leafs during the 2017-18 season but like Schmaltz, could never move on up the depth chart in Toronto playing behind Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Martin Marincin and Ben Harpur on the parent club's roster. The Leafs recently acquired Tyson Barrie from Colorado.

Blues add Savard as assistant coach

Known as an offensive specialist, new coach will work with special 

teams, particularly the power play; was teammate of Berube in Calgary

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Marc Savard often displayed his wizardry as a player in the NHL, particularly on the offensive end.

He'll hope to do more of the same as an assistant coach with the defending Stanley Cup champion Blues moving into the 2019-20 season.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

The Blues added former NHL center Marc Savard (pictured) as an assistant

coach moving into the 2019-20 season.

The 42-year-old Savard, who played for four teams during a 13-year NHL career cut short because of post-concussion syndrome, was brought onto Craig Berube's staff to be an assistant coach on Wednesday.

Savard, who had 706 points (207 goals, 499 assists) in 807 regular-season games for the New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Atlanta Thrashers and the Boston Bruins, will work with the special teams of the Blues, particularly the power play which was 10th in the league during the regular season (21.1 percent) but struggled mightily in stretches during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"From what I understand in good, thorough talks with Craig Berube and Doug Armstrong, I'm going to be trying to work special teams, mostly the power play, work on some skill stuff and just add any piece to hockey club I can and go from there I guess," Savard said in a conference call on Wednesday. "I was a power play guy for sure in my playing days. Me and Craig have had many, many discussions when he took over the Blues this year and I just have some philosophies. I've been able to watch the game a lot. I'm still a hockey watcher day in and day out, and I've picked up a lot of stuff on the power play and what works, what doesn't and I think I'll be able to bring lot of adjustments and new looks and help the Blues have a fresh look, different options. They've got a lot of great pieces. If I'm able to work with them, we should be right up there in the league in power play next season."

Savard, who had 80 of his 207 goals and 292 of his 706 points on the power play during his career, was surprised to see the Blues struggle as often as they did despite having the arsenal of players like Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn, Ryan O'Reilly, David Perron, Alex Pietrangelo and others at their disposal.

"I was a little surprised," Savard said. "It gets a little frustrating, I know, at times. It doesn't always go well and you start gripping the sticks a little bit. I've been in those situations, so if I can help with my experience and help those great players like Tarasenko, Perron and Schenn, O'Reilly and the defense corps there, the list goes on. There's a lot of great options. It's just about bringing them all together, making them all work together and having two great units. I think there's players to have two solid units, kind of go off each other and I think they have guys that can really be successful if put in the right situations."

Savard's addition does not cut out another position. He will join assistants Steve Ott, Mike Van Ryn, David Alexander (goalie coach) and Sean Ferrell. 

It will be Savard's first NHL coaching job, and helped created by his familiarity with Berube. The two of them were teammates at the end of Berube's NHL career in 2001-02 and 2002-03 with the Flames.

"Me and Chief have had close communication for a while," Savard said. "We had roughly touched on it, and then when I finally got a call this summer. It was Sunday night, Chief asked me. I didn't know what to say. I was so excited. I didn't think it would come through this way or work out, especially coming to the Stanley Cup champions. Congratulations to the Blues and the city for that, such an amazing feat, to step right in and help out, to be able to show my passion for the game, which I've always been passionate about. I've always been the first guy at the rink and last guy to leave. Doug inform me that that's going to have to be the case again. I look forward to that challenge. 

"I'm real comfortable with Craig Berube, we're really close friends. He can mentor me and helped me in any way. I played against Steve Ott and Mike Van Ryn, so I know those guys from being on the ice and being around them. Real class guys and I know those guys will put the work in, so I'll just have to fit right in with them."

Berube added in a team statement: "I was fortunate to play with Marc during my career and I'm very familiar with his passion and acumen for the game. He was a tremendous player and possesses an elite offensive mind. His addition to our staff will be a great benefit to our players and the organization."

Savard, a Stanley Cup champion in 2011 with the Bruins, spent the last year working in the media in Toronto; he was born in Ottawa but grew up in Peterborough, Ontario.

"As you all know, I've been doing a lot of stuff around town here and locally (in Toronto)," Savard said. "I had a couple interviews with OHL teams to be a head coach. I was looking to step right in and that didn't come to fruition. I decided to take a year in the media and I owe a lot to CBC and the Fan-590 here in Toronto. I really enjoyed my season, Hockey Night in Canada, doing that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, it became to be that I'm more of a hands-on guy, a hockey guy. I want to be around players, I want to be around the around team and help out the best way that I can. I feel I'm very capable in that aspect. I really appreciate this opportunity that Doug Armstrong's giving me and hopefully I can prove them right that I can help out this team."

Savard will get into St. Louis at the end of August and be ready to get to work. In the meantime, Berube has him already looking at film and things to get started. He's already gotten a head start after having conversations with Berube going back over the months that he took over the Blues' coaching job on an interim basis Nov. 19 for Mike Yeo.

"I told my family, everyone's been excellent, my wife, four kids are behind me 100 percent," Savard said. "They want me to do this and it made it an easy decision. Obviously, the Stanley Cup champions, so it was a no-brainer for me, it's going to be a great opportunity. Hopefully I can succeed. I'm going to put the work in. I think it'll all work out. 

"... We've had a lot of talks as well once this started to become real. But me and Chief go way back. We've kept in touch all the way through and I'm really looking forward to this challenge and new chapter in my life and getting back in the game I love so much and one I continue to watch on a daily basis. ... I'm going to slide in late August and get right to work and really look forward to the opportunity."

As for who Savard was rooting for during the Cup Final this season between the Blues and Bruins? Well, both.

"That's a good one. I played for the Bruins, but Craig and me were great friends," Savard said. "I had mixed emotions. I was happy that either team could win it honestly. But I was really rooting for Craig Berube. I even got a picture of when he first lifted the Cup right on on my TV and sent it to him right away so he had it on his phone right away. I think I was real happy for him. I felt bad for Boston, it was nothing but a great city to me. The fan base has been incredible for what I had gone through, my teammates, some of them are still there, so I pulled for them as well, but I was really, really happy for Craig Berube and the city of St. Louis. It was a special moment obviously. Hopefully we can re-capture that again."

Sundqvist inks four-year, $11-million contract, avoids arbitration

Forward scheduled to have his hearing Wednesday, set career-highs in 

goals, assists, points in helping Blues to first Stanley Cup championship in June

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues are down to two restricted free agents that need contracts after forward Oskar Sundqvist became the latest to sign when he agreed to a four-year, $11-million contract on Sunday afternoon.

Oskar Sundqvist

Sundqvist, who made $700,000 last season and was uncertain to even make the roster heading into the season after being clobbered in the preseason and sustaining a concussion from a headshot against the Washington Capitals and Tom Wilson, will have an average annual value cap hit of $2.75 after becoming a key cog in the Blues' run to the Stanley Cup, their first in franchise history.

Sundqvist, 25, was scheduled to have his arbitration hearing on Wednesday. He played in 75 regular-season games last season and finished with career highs in points (31), goals (14) and assists (17).  Sundqvist finished with nine points (four goals, five assists) in 25 playoff games. He started the playoffs playing in a to-six role before settling in on the fourth line with Ivan Barbashev and Alexander Steen to form one of the top shutdown lines in the playoffs.

Sundqvist joins forwards Sammy Blais (one year, $850,000), Zach Sanford (two years, $3 million) and Robby Fabbri (one year, $900,000), goalie Jordan Binnington (two years, $8.8 million), defenseman Mitch Reinke (one year, two-way at $750,000/$100,000) and goalie Ville Husso (one year, two-way, terms undisclosed) as restricted free agents to sign contracts this off-season.

That leaves defenseman Joel Edmundson (arbitration hearing scheduled for Aug. 4) and Barnashev (no arbitration rights) as the remaining unsigned RFA's. 

The blues acquired Sundqvist from the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 23, 2017 at the NHL Draft and a 2017 first-round pick (Klim Kostin) for Ryan Reaves and a 2017 second-round pick. Overall, the Boden, Sweden, native has 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 144 regular-season games. Sundqvist was originally drafted 81st overall by the Penguins in 2012. 

Maroon still open to return to Blues if opportunity is there

Oakville native, unrestricted free agent, part of first-ever Cup-winning team, 

had his day with the Stanley Cup Saturday; said dialogue with Blues still open

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- It may not be open much, but Pat Maroon hasn't completely closed the door on his Blues career.

Not yet anyway.

Pat Maroon (right of Stanley Cup) takes his picture with members of the
police departments of St. Louis city, county and other municipalities on
Saturday at All American Sports Mall on his day with the Stanley Cup. 

On the day in which he started out eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch out of the Stanley Cup with his son Anthony, paying a visit to where he played inline hockey at All American Sports Mall, then dipping toasted raviolis in marinara sauce at his fiancee Francesca Vangel's family business, Charlie Gitto's in downtown before calling it a day at a family friend's lakehouse in Hermann, Mo. 1.5 hours from St. Louis, Maroon talked about his employment status at the moment.

"I'm still a free agent," Maroon joked.

But in all seriousness, even though it looks bleak for the Oakville native who brought the Cup to some of his grass roots as a kid growing up in St. Louis on his day with the Cup, the 31-year-old unrestricted free agent who signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract to help the Blues win their first Cup in the 52-year history of the franchise, isn't closing the door to possibly return to the Blues next season.

"I would love to be with St. Louis. I would love to play here again," Maroon said. "... Me and Doug talk. We've had conversations and I think it's tough right now. A lot of restricted free agents right now and everyone's trying to find their number right now. The cap really didn't go up. I'm just enjoying it. I'm just going to take the time and really soak it all in. I know I've got a lot left in the tank, a couple years. I've got three solid years I can give someone."

In a perfect world, the Blues would be able to afford Maroon a contract to strengthen an already deep roster, but a few factors play against his return.

First, the Blues have just roughly $9.2 million in cap space to sign restricted free agents Joel Edmundson, Oskar Sundqvist and Ivan Barbashev. Right now, they sit at just over $7.1 million available but three of those contracts (Mackenzie MacEachern, Derrick Pouliot and Jordan Schmaltz) won't count against the NHL's cap space once those three RFA's are signed. And with the likes of Zach Sanford and Sammy Blais signed to one-way contracts this year and the likelihood of increased roles for each and the amount of money that would be available to consider bringing Maroon back, would it work, and would it make sense?  

But how much money would be available to bring back Maroon and how much term he'd be willing to sign for is the question that lingers, and if it's not with the Blues, Maroon, who cemented his legacy in St. Louis when he scored the double-overtime goal in Game 7 of the second round against the Dallas Stars, feels he's got game left for whoever wants his services.

There were some early rumors that the Alberta teams, Calgary and Edmonton, where Maroon scored a career-high 27 goals in 2016-17 playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, had some interest, but both those teams made one of those rare rival trades swapping underachieving forwards Milan Lucic and James Neal on Friday.

"I'm ready to compete and play for any team that wants me," Maroon said. "I'm a guy you can probably use in the locker room, a good veteran guy. I don't really pump my tires up too much, but I feel like I've done a good job of bringing guys together and being a locker room guy. I think anyone can use me right now."

Maroon finished with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 74 regular-season games last season and seven points (three goals, four assists) in 26 playoff games after a rough start to his return home; he finished strong playing on a line with Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas, and that line, when healthy, drove the Blues' offensive zone stats and possession time.

"I've still got it," Maroon said. "I still think I can get back to where I was a year ago. It was obviously a frustrating year last year, but I came on strong the last four months and that's the way I'm supposed to play and I think I can get back to that."

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Pat Maroon drinks from the Stanley Cup after the Blues defeated Boston 4-1

in Game 7 of the Cup Final on June 12.

As for his day with the Cup, it's a culmination of the trials and tribulations that the Blues as a whole went through to win it all after being in last place on Jan. 3. 

"It's been fun," Maroon said. "It's obviously a good day, but a special day at the same time. It's like planning a wedding to get this thing and have everyone see it. It's been good though. It's just unfortunate I have to do a lot of private events or else the whole city of St. Louis would be, as you can see out front, there's a couple thousand people waiting. It's been fun though.

"What Doug [Armstrong] has done for this franchise for so many years to bring a Stanley Cup back (after) 52 years, it says a lot about this city, what we've been through and I think we can say it's a hockey city now and not the baseball city."

Binnington avoids arbitration, signs two-year contract

Goalie to make $4.4 million AAV on bridge deal after 

helping lead Blues to first Stanley Cup in franchise history 

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- On Friday, Jordan Binnington was celebrating his day with the Stanley Cup. On Saturday, he was celebrating a new contract.

And one helluva raise.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Jordan Binnington celebrates with the Stanley Cup

after helping the Blues win their first in franchise

history on June 12 against the Boston Bruins.

A restricted free agent with arbitration rights, Binnington avoided a July 20 hearing by agreeing to a two-year, $8.8 million contract ($4.4 million average annual value).

"I'm happy to get this deal done with the St. Louis Blues," Binnington said on the team's website. "To the city of St. Louis, thank you for welcoming me in and trusting me to do me. I'm excited and motivated to keep doing my job and keep bringing success to the St. Louis Blues organization."

A third-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Binnington burst onto the scene for the Blues when he made his first NHL start on Jan. 7 and earned a 25-save shutout in a 3-0 win at the Philadelphia Flyers and soared from there, helping the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

Binnington went 24-5-1 in the regular season with a 1.89 goals-against average, a .927 save-percentage and five shutouts and was a candidate for the Calder Trophy.

In 26 playoff games, Binnington went 16-10 with a 2.46 GAA, a .914 save-percentage and one shutout; he also became the first rookie goaltender in NHL history to record 16 wins in a single postseason, passing the previous record of 15 set by four goaltenders Patrick Roy of the Montreal Canadiens, Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers, Matt Murray of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Thus avoiding arbitration, Binnington signs a two-year bridge contract and can become an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. It's a contract that gives both sides the time to evaluate and in essence is a prove-it type of deal over an extended period.

Binnington made just $650,000 on a two-way contract last season that paid him $100,000 in the minors and earned himself a nice pay raise after winning the Cup. On Friday, he was in his hometown of Richmond Hill, Ontario celebrating his day with the Cup.

"We are pleased to have Jordan signed for two more years," added Blues general manager Doug Armstrong also said on the team website. "His play was outstanding and we look forward to seeing him continue to be a major contributor for our team."

With Binnington signed, he joins Robby Fabbri (one year, $900,000 signed Friday), Zach Sanford (two-year, $1.5 million AAV signed July 8) and Sammy Blais (one year, $850,000 signed July 1) as RFA's that have signed the free agency period opened. It leaves a little more than $7.1 million in cap space remaining with 22 players under contract. The Blues still need to sign defenseman Joel Edmundson, forwards Oskar Sundqvist and Ivan Barbashev and goalie Ville Husso, but there will be some money alleviated with players dropping off the current roster once these players are signed, so in essence, if the Blues were to drop Mackenzie MacEachern ($750,000), Jordan Schmaltz ($700,000) and Derrick Pouliot ($700,000) off the current roster, that money will be added to the cap.

Defenseman Mitch Reinke signed his RFA deal on Friday, a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $750,000 NHL, $100,000 AHL. 

Fabbri latest RFA to sign contract

Forward inks one-year, $900,000 deal after returning from two torn left 

ACL's, joins Blais, Sanford as signed players; Blues trade for forward

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues are slowly working out deals for their plethora of restricted free agents, and Robby Fabbri's one-year, $900,000 is the third signing since July 1.

Robby Fabbri

Fabbri's contract was announced Friday afternoon, and he joins Zach Sanford (two years, $1.5 million AAV in avoiding arbitration) and Sammy Blais (one year, $850,000).

The Blues are left to sign forwards Ivan Barbashev and Oskar Sundqvist, defenseman Joel Edmundson and goalie Jordan Binnington among their regulars. Binnington (July 20), Sundqvist (July 24) and Edmundson (Aug. 4) all have arbitration hearing dates scheduled should should the Blues and the respective players not come to an agreement by their dates. Goalie Ville Husso (team-elected arbitration on July 22) and defenseman Mitch Reinke are also RFA's.

Fabbri, 23, is coming off a challenging season, frequently being a healthy scratch for long stretches of the season, after missing all of 2017-18 and the final 31 games of the previous season stemming from two torn ACL's in his left knee. Fabbri initially injured his knee Feb. 4, 2017 against Pittsburgh and re-injured the same knee during training camp despite playing in one preseason game at Washington before the 2017-18 season. Both injuries required surgery.

In 32 regular-season games last season, Fabbri had just two goals and four assists, and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he scored a goal in 10 games (Game 1 against the Dallas Stars in the second round) to help the Blues to their first championship in franchise history.

In 155 NHL games, Fabbri, who is coming off a one-year contract that paid him $925,000, has 72 points (31 goals, 41 assists) spanning three seasons; he has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 30 playoff games.

* Blues acquire forward -- The Blues also announced they've acquired forward Dakota Joshua from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for future considerations, and Joshua has signed a two-year, entry-level contract.

“Dakota has had an outstanding college career and we are excited to be adding him to our team,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said in a statement.


Joshua, 23, has spent the past four seasons at Ohio State University. Last season, Joshua had 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 32 regular-season games helping the Buckeyes win the Big 10 regular season championship. 

Listed as 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, the Dearborn, Michigan, native had 100 points (41 goals, 59 assists) in 128 regular-season collegiate games.

Joshua was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Draft.

Sanford avoids arbitration, signs two-year contract

One of four players who was arbitration-eligible will make $1.5 million annually

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Chop another restricted free agent off Blues general manager Doug Armstrong's to-sign list this summer.

Zach Sanford

And in the process of signing restricted free agent Zach Sanford to a two-year, one-way contract worth $1.5 million per season, the Blues also eliminate 25 percent of their remaining players that filed for arbitration.

Sanford became the second RFA to sign after Sammy Blais signed a one-year, one-way contract for $850,000 on July 1.

Sanford, who is coming off a three-year entry-level contract that paid him $875,000 annually, was eligible for arbitration and filed by last Friday's 4 p.m. (CT) deadline along with Jordan Binnington, Joel Edmundson and Oskar Sundqvist.

Sanford scored his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal in Game 7 of the Cup Final against the Boston Bruins and was a huge piece to the series when he entered it in Game 3 after Sundqvist's suspension.

The 24-year-old Salem, Mass. native played in 60 regular-season games last season and had 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) and was a plus-8; he also played the first four playoff games against the Winnipeg Jets in the first round before returning in Game 3 against the Bruins. Sanford finished the playoffs with a goal and three assists and was a plus-4.

With Sanford's signing, that leaves arbitration-eligible Binnington, Edmundson and Sundqvist along with forwards Robby Fabbri and Ivan Barbashev, who were not arbitration-eligible, of the RFA's remaining to sign.

The Blues are listed on capfriendly.com to have roughly $12.4 in cap space available to sign those players, but that's including Jordan Schmaltz, Derrick Pouliot and Mackenzie MacEachern's salaries on the main roster that will likely eliminate and add $2.15 million onto the remaining $12.4 million to sign those players.

And there's still unrestricted free agent forward Pat Maroon, who remains unsigned and has not been ruled out for a return to the Blues, who have very little wiggle room to get all these players signed and figuring out a way to get Maroon back in the fold will be tough if not impossible.

Blais first RFA domino to fall, gets one-way contract

Blues quiet on first day of free agency, focus shifts on signing 

own players; Pouliot, Walker among depth signings on first day

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- On a relatively quiet day for the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Blues sat back and watched others dole out big dollars on the opening day of free agency.

General manager Doug Armstrong has made it clear that the Blues have to focus on their own restricted free agents, and slashed one off the list with the signing of forward Sammy Blais to a one-year, one way contract worth $850,000.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Blues forward Sammy Blais celebrates with the

Stanley Cup after a Game 7 win at Boston.

Blais, 23, is a 2014 sixth-round pick who played in 32 regular-season games for the Blues this past season and had four points (two goals, two assists); he made his debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 6 of the Blues' second-round series against the Dallas Stars and scored what amounted to be an insurance goal that was essentially the nail-in-the-coffin goal and sent the series back to St. Louis for Game 7, one in which the Blues won 2-1 in double-overtime on a goal by Oakville native Pat Maroon.

Blais finished with one goal and two assists in 15 playoff games this season, helping the Blues to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history by playing a hard, physical game.

Blais is coming off an entry-level contract he signed in 2015 that paid him $2.175 million for three years that included a slide in his first year of 2015-16. Overall, Blais has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 43 regular-season games.

Blais' signing leaves the Blues with eight remaining restricted free agents, including goalie Jordan Binnington, defenseman Joel Edmundson, forwards Ivan Barbashev, Zach Sanford, Robby Fabbri and Oskar Sundqvist and minor leaguer goalie Ville Husso and defenseman Mitch Reinke.

With that in mind, the likelihood of Maroon, an unrestricted free agent, resigning with his hometown team seem remote at best. 

Maroon, who came home after agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million contract on July 10 last year, became an important player on the Blues' third line with Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas and scored one of the most important goals in franchise history in Game 7 against the Stars. 

But the Blues have to prioritize signing their RFA's and it will likely leave little to no money against the cap to fit Maroon back into the fold.

Maroon would love nothing more than to continue his career with his hometown team, and even said after the Cup-winning Game 7 over Boston, "I want more now, because once you get one (Cup), you want two. Hopefully I can stay here. Obviously I'm a free agent now. This is home for me now. I won something here. This is home for me." 

The Blues also announced Monday that they have agreed to terms on two-way contracts with forwards Nick Lappin, Evan Polei, Michael Vecchione and Nathan Walker and defensemen Derrick Pouliot and Jake Dotchin.

Pouliot, 25, spent the last two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks and had 12 points (three goals, nine) in 62 games in 2018-19 and 22 points (three goals, 19 assists) in 71 games the previous season. 

Pouliot is intriguing in that he was drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins; he has 48 points (eight goals, 40 assists) in 200 NHL games with Vancouver and Pittsburgh and was a teammate of Sundqvist with the Penguins 2014-15 and 2015-16. Both played in two playoff games during the Penguins' Cup-winning run in 2016.

Lappin, 26, split last season between the New Jersey Devils and Binghamton of the AHL. The Geneva, Ill. native has eight points (five goals, three assists) in 60 NHL games and 123 points (67 goals, 56 assists) in 168 AHL games. 

Walker, 25, has played in 12 NHL games for the Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers; he has one goal and one assist and became the first Australian to play in the NHL. He has 140 points (60 goals, 80 assists) in 300 games with Hershey of the AHL, Washington's affiliate.

Dotchin, 25, played 20 games for the Anaheim Ducks last season and had one assist. In 103 regular-season games over three seasons in the NHL, Dotchin has 23 points (three goals, 20 assists). 

Polei, 23, posted 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) in 53 games for Bakersfield of the AHL in 2018-19, including three points (two goals, one assist) in 10 playoff games.

Vecchione, 26, had 38 points (15 goals, 23 assists) in 67 games for Lehigh Valley of the AHL last season, Philadelphia's affiliate; he played in two games for the Flyers in 2016-17. 

The Blues also signed Cam Darcy, Zach Nastasiuk and J.J. Piccinich to AHL contracts for San Antonio.