Nick Leddy: "It was a place I really wanted to be"

Defenseman signed four-year, $16 million contract on opening day of free 

agency, wanted to stay in St. Louis after being traded to Blues late last season

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Twenty-nine games was enough for Nick Leddy to know that he wanted to make St. Louis home.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Nick Leddy (right) wanted to return to the Blues and signed a four-year,

$16 million free agent contract on Wednesday.

While it may be temporary for the Eden Prairie, Minnesota native to make the Gateway to the West his temporary home, a signed, sealed and delivered four-year, $16 million contract on the first day of the free agency period on Wednesday was the final stamp of approval that the 31-year-old wanted to continue to build upon his 20-game regular-season and nine-game postseason Blues resume.

"Obviously a lot of excitement, first and foremost," Leddy said by phone Friday. "I think the biggest thing is I'm really excited to have a full season with the guys and actually a few more years.

"... I think the comfort factor was there right away. Obviously I felt welcomed immediately and knowing some of the guys really well, Brandon (Saad) and Justin (Faulk) right off the start helped out exponentially."

Leddy, acquired from the Detroit Red Wings along with Luke Witkowski for Oskar Sundqvist, Jake Walman and a 2023 second-round pick at last season's NHL Trade Deadline, scored twice and had six assists during the regular-season and another goal and four assists during the Stanley Cup playoffs for the Blues but just completed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract signed with the New York Islanders in 2015 after winning a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.

Leddy was thought to have played his final game with the Blues when they were eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the playoffs; he carried a $5.5 million average annual value on his previous contract and was thought to be seeking somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 million in his next contract, and with the Blues pressed up against the salary cap ceiling and not much wiggle room, Leddy was thought to be on his way elsewhere and did draw interest elsewhere.

"Obviously there was some communication between 'Army' and my agent, some back and forth," Leddy said of Blues general manager Doug Armstrong and agent Neil Sheehy. "But overall, it was a place I really wanted to be.

"I think I'm just glad to get a deal done and excited for the next four years."

It was no secret the Blues wanted to bolster the left side of their defense again, to go with Torey Krug, Niko Mikkola and Scott Perunovich, who signed a one-year, one-way contract on Friday, and staying in-house was the choice they made, and for all intents and purposes, left no cap space and money to re-sign forward David Perron, who signed a two-year, $9.5 million free agent contract with the Red Wings on Wednesday.

"I think solidifying our top four on defense was very important for us," Armstrong said. "I was very comfortable with the seven D that we had last year before we got Nick and became a little bit better balanced team with Nick and we're happy to have him back too. It's a jigsaw puzzle that's always moving. You have to make hard decisions and this is the most uncomfortable time as a manager is making hard decisions. I date myself back to my Dallas days and it was a lot better for me as a manager and a lot worse as the owner when there was no budget because I could just say 'yes' all the time. Now I have to make more decisions.

"We expected (Leddy) to come in here and just based on his history, he was a 22-minute player in the playoffs with a very good Islanders team. He went to an organization ... the Islanders moved him along for cap reasons and he went to an organization that was in a different part. We looked at him as someone who we believed could come in here and solidify. He's at a proper age now with our other guys. This is an indication in the next three or four years, we're going to try and continue to build as stay as competitive as possible."

Leddy, who averaged 21:25 ice time last season, was set to go through a process with free agency if needed but preferred to get a deal done as quickly as possible and after playing for a contender, why not try and help finish the job?

"I think that's part of it. I think you've got the good side of you can kind of look around and know where you want to be, but I think the other side of it too, you know at this point in my career, I know places that I feel I would like and the teams I really like to be around," Leddy said. "Obviously St. Louis is that team.

"That's the goal every year obviously to be a contender. You look up and down on this roster, you have a lot of skill on the ice and a lot of hard-working guys. Off the ice, a lot of great people. I think that's a huge part of it as well."

Leddy helped stabilize a top four defensive unit that was needing an upgrade as the season went, playing mainly alongside Colton Parayko and fellow Minnesota buddy Faulk.

(St. Louis Blues/Scott Rovak)

Nick Leddy (4) returns to the Blues to help stabilize a defensive unit

that improved after his arrival last season.

"I think you create chemistry over time and I think that'll be a big thing moving forward," Leddy said. "Always looking to keep building on and off the ice."

Leddy's not sure when he will get back to St. Louis, but the thought of getting in early and continuing the acclimation process may be something that will help him here.

"I think that would be more of a kind of a game time decision," Leddy said. "I work out and skate with Justin Faulk so maybe I'll just talk to him and see when he's coming in and seeing what his plan is closer to that date. Getting there early and getting acclimated, that's definitely a very good idea."

* NOTES -- Not only did the Blues sign Perunovich, who was a restricted free agent, but they also gave one-year contracts to forwards Nathan Walker, Anthony Angello, Matthew Highmore, Josh Leivo and Dylan McLaughlin.

Walker, 31, was given a one-year, one-way contract extension that will kick in with the 2023-24 season; Leivo, 29, who was the American Hockey League's playoff MVP this past season with 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in 18 games with the Chicago Wolves, signed a one-year, one-way contract; Highmore, 26, who played 46 games with the Vancouver Canucks last season (five goals, seven assists), the 26-year-old Angello and McLaughlin each inked one-year, two-way contracts.