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.