Hutton calls signing with Blues a no-brainer

Goalie will back up Jake Allen after 

three seasons playing for division rival Nashville

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Carter Hutton didn't have the Blues on his radar early in the off-season.

But the netminder saw an opportunity when the Blues traded Brian Elliott to the Calgary Flames, and it was a chance to join a team he's never beaten before.

So when the Blues came calling, needing a backup goalie for starter Jake Allen, Hutton, 30, wasted little time in joining his third team -- all in the Central Division -- when he signed a two-year, $2.25 million contract.

Carter Hutton

"It was a no-brainer for me. It's a great team," Hutton said. "It's one of those things, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I've had so many tough nights here playing such a good team. They either beat you with size or they beat you with skill. They're so deep. Looking at last year, their run, they got over the hump a bit when they beat Chicago and going deep. They could take a lot of positives. So for me, coming (in) with a kid like Jake, who I know well, played against him in the minors, a great up-and-coming goalie, I think coming here was a better fit for me. With Pekka (Rinne in Nashville), it was hard to ever get any minutes no matter what I did, which is understandable. He was the guy. For me it was the time to make my move and St. Louis was a perfect fit."

A Thunder Bay, Ontario native, Hutton was 0-2-3 lifetime against the Blues, and now that he signed in St. Louis, his NHL career has come full circle.

Hutton made his NHL debut here in 2012 with the Chicago Blackhawks and lost 3-1 to the Blues, who needed to the victory in the final regular season game to get home ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Pup Playoffs.

"I was playing with the Hawks, something I don't like to bring up in these parts," Hutton said. "But just a short stint. I think there were like seven of us playing from Rockford and (the Blues) were playing for home ice with the Kings, so that was a rude awakening for me in the NHL, but it was fun. You take your first game any way you can get it and we obviously moved on to Nashville and now we're here so it's great.

"When I left Chicago to come to Nashville, Nashville pushed for me and there was nothing for me at that point. That was the team I was going to go to. This year we had offers. You weigh out, you start weighing opportunity vs. teams vs. all these different situations. St. Louis wasn't really on the radar for us with Brian and Jake here and then all of the sudden, Friday night at the draft, things changed quickly. My agent gets approached and things get moved and next thing you know, they jump right to the top of the list. For me, it was a no-brainer. They're such a good team, such a good organization and I want to win. I want to come somewhere where we have the depth to do it and I want to be a part of that."

Hutton and Allen only knew each other from playing against one another in the AHL, so when Hutton arrived in St. Louis, it was important to build a rapport with his new partner.

"I think coming in here early and getting on the ice with (goalie coach Jim Corsi) was huge," Hutton said. "Kind of get a feel for the lay of the land. When camp starts, you're comfortable with the staff  and with the players. With Jake, I've heard such good things. You come and get to know him. You play with so many different characters. Everybody has a different personality, but he was very welcoming right away. I think our first weekend, he had us out for dinner, my girlfriend and I with his girlfriend. That makes a difference. Sometimes it's getting away from the rink and being able to sit down. A different setting away from hockey. Hockey is one thing; we can sit and talk about equipment and style of play. The way you are away from the rink, I think really starts to make a friendship and make a good tandem. I think right away, he displayed that and obviously that's huge because you're coming here not knowing that many people. For him to go out of his way to welcome me and make me a part of it is important for me and my family."

Allen, who got a new contract extension (four years, $17.4 million) this summer, already likes his new partner.

"He seems like a great guy," Allen said of Hutton. "I've heard great things about him. I played against him a lot in the minors for a long time. He was at Rockford, I was at Peoria. I know his game well. I obviously got to see him at Nashville a lot the last couple years. He's a great goalie and will be a great teammate for us and a great addition.

"He's been in the league longer than I have. He's been around Pekka Rinne, one of the best in the league for a long time. He knows what it takes. All you hear about is he's such a great teammate to the guys. I know some guys know him away from the rink a little bit more than I do and have just had nothing but good things to say. It's going to be a good addition to our team and he's going to do great things for us."

Hutton, who trains in the off-season with Blues defenseman and fellow Thunder Bay native Robert Bortuzzo, is 33-24-12 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .910 save percentage during a NHL career of three-plus seasons. His best season was his first full year with Nashville in 2011-12 when Hutton was 20-11-4 with a 2.62 GAA and .910 save percentage.

He understands the situation and knows he's the veteran buffer for Allen when needed.

"I understand it. I've been in this role before," Hutton said. "But I think for me, they expect a lot more out of me (in St. Louis) from a veteran standpoint, too, coming in, pushing Jake and keeping him honest but also helping him. This is all for the benefit of the team. So far, so good. Jake and I got to know each other pretty quick here. Playing against him, he's a great kid. I look forward to the season.

(file photo)

Carter Hutton will back up Jake Allen in St. Louis for the next two seasons.

"I also weighed the fact that I wasn't going to go anywhere and get a No. 1 job. You have to be realistic, too. I wanted to go somewhere where I had the best chance to play and to win. A happy medium with both. We sat down and looked at every year and every city. We felt that this was the best fit for me and I'm just pumped to be here."

Hutton will make his Blues debut and play the third period Sunday when the Blues open preseason play with a split-squad game at noon at Scottrade Center against the Columbus Blue Jackets; Allen will start and play the first two periods.

(9-24-16) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Sobotka saga could come to a resolution Sunday; 

lineups vs. Columbus; Team USA disappointments; Blues open camp

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues hope -- hope being the prohibitive word -- that the saga known as Vladimir Sobotka has a resolution by Sunday.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, who has maintained all along that Sobotka would return to the Blues this season, now isn't so sure.

When discussing Alexander Steen's four-year, $23 million extension on Friday, Armstrong was more hopeful that Sobotka, who has played the past two seasons in the KHL with Avangard Omsk, would return following the World Cup of Hockey.

"I met with he and his agent here," Armstrong said of Sobotka and agent Petr Svoboda. "It's complicated to say the least with the Russians. They're dealing on it again (Friday). Hopefully we're going to have this resolved one way or the other, certainly by Sunday."

The Blues opened training camp on Friday and want to know who they'll have, or won't have moving forward.

"He's got to make a decision," Armstrong said of Sobotka, who would play under a one-year, $2.725 million arbitration-awarded contract in the NHL. "He's either going to come to our camp and start playing or go back to the KHL and start playing."

The Blues have capable replacements should Sobotka, 29, not be able to get out of the final year of his contract with Omsk, but they will welcome him back with open arms.

"No, I haven't given him a deadline. We want him back," Armstrong said. "The conversation was he wants to come back, but as I said, it's more complicated than I was led to believe over the summer and that part's disappointing. But ultimately, they're working on trying to get something done and I'm hoping they can."

In the meantime, coach Ken Hitchcock is moving forward with whoever he has in camp.

"To me, it's like whoever's here, you're here," Hitchcock said. "We'll make adjustments one way or the other. 

"We're hoping like heck (Sobotka's) here, but if he's not, we'll make other adjustments and get moving forward here. That's why quite frankly we've put (Jaden) Schwartz in the middle. We want to see him and we'll get that looked at later on. We're really wanting to see 'Sobe' here, but if it doesn't work out, we'll put somebody else there."

* Team USA disappointment -- Nobody expected Team USA to go out as quietly as it did, going 0-3 in the World Cup of Hockey 2016. And it was most surprising to a pair of Blues that represented their country at the Sochi Olympics.

"I don't want to say sad, it's just shocking," center Paul Stastny said. "No one expected it. If they win that first game, everything's completely different. 

"Everyone knew Canada top to bottom is sick and they're missing three guys off their original team and the other three guys are just as good. We've always known they have the depth. ... Obviously they're the favorites, but I think underestimating Europe or looking ahead probably is the mistake teams will make."

Added defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk: "It's unfortunate. I have a lot of buddies on that team. I feel for them. That's obviously not the result that they wanted. They were hoping to play a different style of game, but it didn't work out. I know if I were in that situation and in that locker room, it would be a pretty low feeling. It's a tough one to see, especially when you know some of the guys on that team."

Shattenkirk was asked about the tweet from fellow American and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel, who ruffled a few feathers with the following tweet after the Americans lost to Team Canada earlier in the week and were eliminated: 

Just sitting around the house tonight w my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn't put my finger on it.

Shattenkirk understood it was no harm intended and that Kessel was joking but he wasn't tempted to make a similar gesture.

"No. That's out of my hands," Shattenkirk said. "I value my relationship with USA Hockey a little too much."

* Blues open 50th anniversary camp -- The opening of training camp on Friday signified the opening of the Blues' 50th season in the NHL, and Hitchcock got t he chance to see a plethora of draft picks and players that will likely be playing for the AHL's Chicago Wolves this season.

"The tempo. We had great tempo today," Hitchcock said after practice. "There seems to be a lot of quick players out there and I think it's a combination of who's in our lineup and practicing today and what Chicago looks like, too. It looks like there's a lot of quick players (with the Wolves). That was the thing that surprised me. The tempo and usually the second session drops off a little bit, but it did the other thing, it went the other way. It was even a higher tempo than the first sessions. That's a really good sign moving forward. We didn't over-extend the stay on the ice, but we got our theme done today and I thought we got a lot of tempo, which is what we wanted to do also."

The Blues had eight players participating in the World Cup of Hockey, and four of them were still in Toronto for the semifinals (Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Patrik Berglund). Four of them (Colton Parayko, Dmitrij Jaskin, Jori Lehtera and Sobotka) were finished and not expected to begin participating at camp until the early part of next week, according to Hitchcock, so it gives the guys on professional tryouts and young players the chance to impress.

"There's young guys that you're hoping that can play, but we already know who can play of the young guys," Hitchcock said. "It's whether they can extend their responsibilities. That's the challenge through exhibition is at the end of the day, who's going to take on what responsibility moving forward. Who's going to be the guys playing at the end of games, who's going to play when the games are on the line. We pretty much know a lot of situations. For some of these younger guys, it's time. It's time they took on more minutes. They want it, they've feel they've earned the right to play those extra minutes and they want that responsibility."

The camp certainly has a different feel to it, especially with the free agewnt departures of David Backes, Brian Elliott, Steve Ott and Troy Brouwer, which is surprising. Or is it?

"Yeah and no," Stastny said. "I think you kind of knew things would happen. There's always turnover and I think that's just the nature of the business now. Whether it's young guys or older guys, whether you finish dead-last or win the Cup, there's akways going to be turnover. It's crazy to see how different it is year after year. 

"If you look back to rhe team five years ago and look now, there's very few guys and I was in the same boat when I was in Colorado for my first year. I was the youngest guy and then my fifth year, I was the only guy from that first-year team. It changes so fast. Unfortunately, you get used to it. It's always tough, and you wish the best for those guys who you became close with."

"It's definitely a different feel here in camp," Shattenkirk said. "Not seeing Dave is a big change. He's someone who is one of the first guys I saw coming into this locker room. Troy was someone who acclimated quickly last year, especially through training camp. Brian is another guy who (was) a staple here for a long time. You can't kind of put that part aside, but like I said, that's what happens every year. That's something that you have to deal with. The good part about it is some of the new guys we have in her, we've seen before. It's not a process for them where they feel uncomfortable in here. They know a few guys. They can feel comfortable in here and feel they can get out and be able to practice Hitch's style a little bit and get to work. I think that's been the fun part of that, and obviously the coaching staff is something we're all getting adjusted to. The new coaches are really just doing a good job of just putting themselves out there and chatting and getting good dialogue to make sure guys know what they're like and how they're going to handle things."

* Missing bodies -- Everyone that was supposed to report for camp were on the ice Friday except for defensemen Vince Dunn and Thomas Vannelli, left wing Filip Helt and goalie Luke Opilka.

Opilka is still rehabbing from a hip injury sustained with Kitchener last season and the other three all sustained injuries at te prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich.

"Dunn, Vannelli and Helt sustained injuries in Traverse City. They're actually all three day-to-day," Hitchcock said. "We'll see in the morning which guys can join us. Obviously by them all being here, they're expected at some period of time to be back on the ice, but right now, none of them can skate today and we'll just evaluate that day to day now."

* Preseason begins Sunday -- The Blues waste no time in opening up the preseason schedule on Sunday with a split squad game against the COlumbus Blue Jackets.

The teams will play at noon at Scottrade Center and at 6 p.m. in Columbus.

"The first three games are going to be completely different than what you saw, but the first two games, we're just looking at people to see what happens and giving people a chance to see if they can stay for the extra week and then we'll start putting things a little bit more together in the game that goes to Dallas (Monday)," Hitchcock said. "That'll be a little more of an NHL lineup. Our first series of cuts will be after the Dallas game."

Here are the lineups for Sunday's games:

At St. Louis -- 

Robby Fabbri-Paul Stastny-JadenSchwartz

Jordan Caron-Ivan Barbashev-David Perron

Scottie Upshall-Conner Bleackley-Ryan Reaves

Chris Porter-Kenny Agostino-Samuel Blais

Petteri Lindbohm-Kevin Shattenkirk

Kevin Tansey-Mike Weber

Dmitrii Sergeev-Brad Hunt

Jake Allen and Carter Hutton

At Columbus -- 

Magnus Paajarvi-Andrew Agozzino-Ty Rattie

Yan Stastny-Kyle Brodziak-T.J. Galiardi

Eric Nystrom-Landon Ferraro-Jordan Kyrou

Mackenzie MacEachern-Adam Musil-Jacob Doty

Carl Gunnarsson-Robert Bortuzzo

Joel Edmundson-Jordan Schmaltz

Chris Butler-Scooter Vaughn

Pheonix Copley and Jordan Binnington

Berglund added to Team Sweden roster

Forward replaces Ducks' Rakell, who initially replaced Blues' Steen

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- The Swedish Ice Hockey Association announced on Monday that Blues forward Patrik Berglund has been added to Team Sweden' roster for the World Cup of Hockey 2016, replacing Anaheim Ducks forward Rickard Rakell.

Patrik Berglund

Rakell, who replaced Blues forward Alexander Steen (shoulder) on the roster, had one assist against Team Finland on Sept. 8 in a pre-tournament game but was not in the lineup against Team Finland on Saturday with what is reported as a stomach virus.

Berglund, 28, had 10 goals and 15 points in 42 regular-season games and four goals and nine points in 20 playoff games to help the Blues advance to the Western Conference Final last season; he has 128 goals and 134 assists in 555 regular-season games in eight seasons with the Blues.

Berglund joins teammates Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester (Team Canada), Vladimir Tarasenko (Team Russia), Jori Lehtera (Team Finland), Dmitrij Jaskin and Vladimir Sobotka (Team Czech Republic) and Colton Parayko (Team North America) as one of eight Blues playing in the tournament.

Team Sweden has one final pre-tournament game Wednesday against Team Europe at Verizon Center in Washington (6 p.m. on ESPN3).

The World Cup begins at Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday. Team Sweden plays its World Cup opener Sunday against Team Russia (2 p.m. on ESPN).

(8-26-16) BLUES NOTEBOOK

Armstrong maintains Sobotka to return to Blues; Steen healing well following 

surgery; Shattenkirk, Tarasenko earn 'A's; Bouwmeester's selection to Canada 

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Doug Armstrong doesn't seem worried, despite what began as growing concern that's turned into frustration among Blues fans.

The Blues' general manager, after announcing Alex Pietrangelo as the franchise's 21st captain and the rest of the leadership group, was faced with the questions again regarding forward Vladimir Sobotka.

What's the latest? Is he returning to St. Louis after two seasons with Avangard Omsk or not?

If one believes recent reports out of Russia, Sobotka will return to Omsk for a third season after the club brought in a new head coach, which was at the root of the problems facing Sobotka.

Armstrong maintained his stance Thursday as nothing different that what he's been saying all summer: Sobotka, 29, will return to the Blues after talking with agent Petr Svoboda.

"I've talked to Petr Svoboda, I would say, daily over the last few weeks and every other day the weeks prior to that, and nothing has changed," Armstrong said. "I talked to him again today, (Sobotka) is getting ready for the World Cup. He's planning on staying here when that's over and coming back to our franchise. He's excited about it. It's one of those ones where I understand everyone's nervousness because he's not here. But he's not going to be here until after the World Cup, so I think the questions are going to persist until he gets off the plane at Lambert and comes into the Mills or to Scottrade and when he does that, this will finally be behind us."

Sobotka, when he finally returns to the NHL, will have to play out his arbitration-awarded one-year, $2.725 million contract. He originally signed a three-year contract to play with Omsk but had an opt-out clause after the first year.

Sobotka has put up 28 goals and 44 assists in 97 games in the KHL, including 18 goals and 16 assists in 44 games this past season. His last season in the NHL with the Blues in 2013-14, Sobotka had nine goals and 24 assists in 61 games.

Armstrong said he's spoken directly with Sobotka over the phone but looks forward to talking to him in person in Toronto at the World Cup

"Yeah, we'll certainly meet there," Armstrong said. "I've talked to him on the telephone over the summer. His focus right now is obviously preparing (for the World Cup). Ironically that's the first team that Canada plays that 'Petro' plays against and I'll be working for Canada. So we'll get an up close look at him very early. But I'll certainly try and bump into him there like I will all of our players."

Sobotka reportedly sustained a shoulder injury in the KHL but has been cleared to play.

"Yeah, he's passed all the physicals, he's ready to play for the Czech national team and he'll be ready for our team also," Armstrong said.

Stay tuned.

* Steen on track -- Alexander Steen, who had left shoulder surgery on June 3 to repair an injury originally sustained Feb. 20 in Arizona, has been healing nicely according to Armstrong.

Armstrong said the recovery and re-evaluation timeline originally was 4-6 months, which would at the earliest put Steen at Oct. 3, or nine days before the season-opener.

The Blues are optimistic that time frame is closer to the four months rather than the later, since Armstrong said the rehab time is going well.

"Very good. He came in, met with our doctors," Armstrong said of Steen. "He had pushed very hard to be able to participate in the World Cup. It was a 4-6 month injury, going to be re-evaluated in four, which is October 3rd. He worked very hard, it's just not going to happen. But he looks like he's in great shape, he's ahead of schedule and we're hoping that he's ready for Game 1 and if not Game 1, very early in the season, but all things are very positive.

"We're still quite a ways from camp, but I would think he'll jump right into the flow drills, that's the idea now. But we're not going to be penny-wise, pound-foolish. Whether he participates in battle drills in early September or mid-September, I'm not that concerned about."

Steen, 32, who enters the 2016-17 season in the final year of his contract, was among the finalists for the 'C' that was awarded to Pietrangelo.

"Alexander is a great player and he's a huge part of this leadership group," Armstrong said. "'Petro' understands that. I've met with all the assistant captains, or talked to them all, and told them how important their job responsibilities are for this team. Like Alex last year and like Alexander last year and this year, if you're a true leader, you don't really need a letter to prove it, and these guys don't need that. They've been leaders on this team and on prior teams, and nothing is going to change for Alexander Steen. He's a top player for us, as are the other players that we named assistant captains. And now it's just a recognition publicly of what we've known privately, that they're a huge part of our leadership group."

* Shattenkirk, Stastny, Tarasenko also named alternate captains -- Kevin Shattenkirk, Paul Stastny and Vladimir Tarasenko were named with Steen as alternate captains for the upcoming season, two for home games and the other two away, and the pairs will alternate home and away at the midpoint of the season.

Shattenkirk, who was the subject of trade rumors, most heavily at the NHL Draft in June, enters the final year of his four-year, $17 million contract that pays him $5.2 million this season.

Rumors were running rampant at the draft that Shattenkirk would most certainly be dealt, but now it's almost a certainty that Shattenkirk will open the season with the Blues and any lingering trade rumors can be put to rest.

For the time being.

"I think when you're building your team, it would have been a disservice not to make him an 'A,'" Armstrong said. "He's earned the right. As I said, this is just a public recognition of something we've known privately. He's a big part of this team, he's a very good player, and more importantly he's a very good leader."

As for Tarasenko, who was the target of criticism towards the end of the Blues' playoff run, which ended in the Western Conference Final against the San Jose Sharks, he indicated that he'd like to be part of the leadership group and management has rewarded him with that honor.

"I think he's probably where 'Petro' was a few years ago when he first got the 'A,'" Armstrong said of Tarasenko. "You want to get into the league and you want to find your way around the league. You want to find out where the locker rooms are in each building, you want to find out which hotels are good and what hotels are bad. When you've done that, you want to become a confident player on the ice. Obviously Vladi has done that, he's been a 40-goal scorer, a second-team All-Star and this is just a natural progression as his growth as a person and a player. We expect great things of him on the ice and now this is an additional responsibility off the ice."

One player who didn't get a letter but will be counted on is Jaden Schwartz, who was drafted in the first round with Tarasenko in 2010 and will be counted on to take a bigger role on the team after signing a five-year, $26.75 million contract this summer.

"Another player that's going to share in that load, that's not wearing an 'A' right now is Jaden Schwartz," Armstrong said. "These players have to take a bigger part of our group and they can't be looking over their shoulder now for other guys to do the uncomfortable things. They have to start doing those things themselves."

* Bouwmeester's addition to Team Canada -- When defenseman Jay Bouwmeester was named as a replacement for injured Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, names like P.K. Subban, Kris Letang and/or Mark Giordano surfaced as possible replacements.

But Armstrong, the GM of Team Canada, opted for a guy he's familiar with and a guy that was on Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics despite some criticism over the decision.

"Well, once we found out 'Dunc' wasn't going to be able to join us at the World Cup, we got all the managers and coaches on the phone," Armstrong said. "What we're looking at is building a team there and in a team, you need different elements. We felt comfortable when we named our initial roster to have four right-handed defensemen and three left-handed defensemen and when we lost a left-handed defenseman, we felt it was very important to replace that. When you look around the NHL, there's an abundance of left-handed defensemen and not as many right-handed defensemen, and you'll see a lot of lefties play the right but you very rarely see a right-handed defenseman play the left. So the thought process was, worst-case scenario, you go into the tournament and you lose a left-handed guy, can you support five right-handed defensemen on one team? Ultimately we felt that we couldn't, so we wanted to go with a lefty and 'Bouw's resume speaks for itself. Obviously two World Championships, being a gold medalist in Sochi, logging 25-plus minutes for the last decade, he's earned the right to be there and certainly familiar with (Team Canada coach) Mike Babcock and myself, so it was an easy decision."

* Could Blues bring in more PTO's? -- The Blues already have two veterans (wing T.J. Galiardi and defenseman Mike Weber) coming to training camp on professional tryouts and depending on the results of the World Cup, could add more.

Galiardi, 28, most recently played in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets during the 2014-15 season and had one goal in 38 games; he played for the Malmo Redhawks last season in the Swedish Hockey League and had three goals and 12 assists in 29 games,

Weber, 28, split the 2015-16 season with the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals, where he one goal and four assists in 45 games (all five points coming with Buffalo in 35 games).

"Marty Brodeur, Kevin McDonald and Rob DiMaio are heading that up," Armstrong said regarding the PTO's. "They're talking to different guys. We may need now with Bouwmeester going off to the World Cup, we'll probably look to make sure we have enough to make sure we have a really strong, solid training camp. And with injuries in today's game, you want to make sure you have enough healthy bodies. 

"I think we're a good sale for PTO's because we had two guys earn contracts last year (Scottie Upshall and Scott Gomez)."

Martin Havlat also earned a contract after a PTO but cut short his NHL comeback after just two games. Havlat did score one goal (a game-winner) in his Blues debut at New Jersey last season.

Bouwmeester added to Team Canada roster

Blues defenseman will replace injured 

Blackhawks' Duncan Keith on World Cup of Hockey roster

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Add Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to the list of Blues who will compete in next month's World Cup of Hockey.

Hockey Canada announced Wednesday that Bouwmeester has been added to Team Canada’s roster for the tournament in Toronto, which is set to begin Sept. 17 and run through Oct. 1.

Jay Bouwmeester

Bouwmeester, 32, will replace injured Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith and be making his 11th appearance for Canada on the national stage. 

The Edmonton, Alberta, native is a six-time medalist, including earning gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2003 and 2004 World Championships and the 2004 World Cup.

Bouwmeester joins teammate Alex Pietrangelo on Team Canada. Other Blues participating in the tournament include Colton Parayko (Team North America), Vladimir Tarasenko (Team Russia), Dmitrij Jaskin and Vladimir Sobotka (Team Czech Republic) and Jori Lehtera (Team Finland). Alexander Steen was originally selected by Team Sweden but will not play to rehab his surgically repaired shoulder.

Last season, the 6-foot-4, 209-pound Bouwmeester appeared in 72 games for the Blues, posting 19 points (three goals, 16 assists). Bouwmeester had four assists in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games last season.

Overall, Bouwmeester has 376 points (81 goals, 295 assists) in 990 NHL regular season games as well as six assists in 38 postseason games.

Blues, Schwartz come to terms on five-year contract

Left wing signs for $26.75 million, avoids 

salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Wednesday

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- Jaden Schwartz was part of the first group of players up for a salary arbitration hearing on July 20.

The Blues' left wing can scratch those plans off his calendar now that the restricted free agent and the team have agreed to terms on a five-year contract worth $26.75 million, or an average annual value of $5.35 million per season.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

Left wing Jaden Schwartz signed a five-year contract on

Friday and avoided salary arbitration. 

Schwartz, 24, one of the two Blues' 2010 first-round picks (Vladimir Tarasenko was the other), is coming off a two-year bridge contract in 2014 that paid him $2 million in 2014-15 and $2.7 million this past season.

Schwartz is coming off a season in which he played 33 games after sustaining a fractured left ankle Oct. 23 that forced him to miss 49 games; he had eight goals and 14 assists in the regular season and four goals and 10 assists in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games helping the Blues reach the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2001.

Prior to last season, Schwartz put up his best two seasons in the NHL, including a career-high in goals (28), assists (35) and points (63) in 75 games during the 2014-15 season; he had 25 goals and 31 assists in 80 games in 2013-14.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong maintained all along after the season that signing Schwartz to a long-term deal was the top priority of the franchise and would give the Blues a clear picture which direction they were headed in, particularly as far as their cap number is concerned.

Schwartz is part of a younger core group that includes Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, Robby Fabbri, Colton Parayko and Jake Allen.

"We've had great success with a number of players and now, it's important for that group now to support the veteran players," Armstrong said after the season ended. 

Schwartz has 157 points (70 goals, 87 assists) in 240 regular season games and 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 38 playoff.

* NOTES -- The Blues also came to terms on one-year, two-way contracts for goalies Jordan Binnington and Pheonix Copley on Friday.

Binnington and Copley, who played in the American Hockey League with the Chicago Wolves last season, are expected to compete for the No. 1 job with the Wolves again this season.

Blues lose Backes, Brouwer to free agency, add Perron

Allen signs extension, Ott departs, Hutton signs on to be backup

By LOU KORAC
ST. LOUIS -- David Perron is coming home and David Backes is leaving home were all part of a furious and raucous first day of the NHL free agency period that opened on Friday.

For the Blues, who were in the Western Conference Final just five-plus weeks ago, it was a big hit to not only their longest-tenured player but a hit to their veteran leadership core.

The Blues were able to add the veteran Perron, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks last season with a two-year, $7.5 million contract and they shored up their goaltending by signing Jake Allen to a four-year, $17.4 million contract extension and getting him a backup in former Nashville Predators goalie Carter Hutton, who inked a two-year, $2.25 million contract.

(St. Louis Blues photo)

David Backes departs St. Louis after 10 seasons, including the past five as

captain after signing a five-year, $30 million contract with Boston.

More on the additions later, but the Blues' now must turn to replacing a trio of veterans in Backes, Troy Brouwer and Steve Ott, who brought a wealth of NHL experience and leadership to the locker room and helped the Blues reach a conference final for the first time since 2001. 

None more bigger than Backes, who after becoming an unrestricted free agent at 11 a.m. (CT), signed a five-year, $30 million contract with the Boston Bruins after going through all the emotional invested trials and tribulations of trying to stay on with the only franchise he's ever known. 

In the end, the sides couldn't come to an agreement on the term, or the $6 million average annual value.

And so Backes leaves with 727 regular season games played, 206 goals and 460 points. He had 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 20 Stanley Cup Playoff games this past spring.

"I think there was contact this morning even and it was more of just a 'Let's touch base and make sure that through the free agency process, we'll keep the door open,'" Backes said Friday evening. "Maybe we end up circling back and making this work. By five minutes after 11, the phones were ringing and the offers were coming in and it was something where each side was doing what they thought was in their best interests at the moment and making business decisions. Trust me, we tried and banged our heads against the wall and we couldn't get the two sides to line up to get something done and now we're turning a page.

"... I think there were conversations to try to get a team-friendly contract to bring me back and to keep me in the fold here. How that all looks like when it's printed out and it's on a contract and the numbers are all laid out, that was the struggle and how long that can be and what that all, without getting into specifics because I don't think that benefits anyone at the moment, it didn't line up. I'm looking for a little assurance that I can retire a Blue and have my whole career here. The Blues just weren't comfortable extending that far out and that's their right and it's my right to go to the market when we're not able to get our priorities lined up."

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong wouldn't divulge details, but it's been confirmed that both sides could get as high as four years on Backes' term. The Blues weren't comfortable going five years, and ultimately, that extra $6 million in AAV.

"We talked last night and again this morning," Armstrong said early Friday afternoon. "At the end of the day, the term was a concern for myself. David's a great player and he's been a great Blue and we wish him nothing but the best, but when you project out long-term, it was problematic for me personally to progress that far with players. There's analytical data that shows where players play at their peak and we wanted to try and stay within a window. We were going to invest to a certain level. But that's more of a personal thing than anything. 

"Ultimately David took a really good offer from Boston and we wish him nothing but the best and he'll be sorely missed."

Backes disputed the analytical theory, and all players in their right minds would when it comes to questioning their ability to perform when reaching a certain age. But with Backes and with the way he plays the game physically and the mileage he has on his body in 10 seasons, the Blues took their stance.

"Analytics and I don't ... I'm a numbers nerd from being an engineering student," Backes said. "We can have an analytics discussion maybe later, but maybe they do, maybe there's an actuary that comes up and says that at 36, you're not going to be able to move this fast and you can't ... you won't be worth anything. I don't know how they project that or it's if your contract was this much that what's the salary cap going to be in five years and what's a player ... I don't know what all goes into that. Just the analytics thing is a lot of numbers trying to roboticise and try to put everyone into a cookie-cutter type of mold and put everyone into a box. I just think there's quite a few guys One just died that was a legend that defied old mother time (Gordie Howe) and kept playing and played at a high level. A couple other guys, a guy that won a Cup this year is 39 coming back for another year. Another guy that's real productive is Shane Doan who scored almost 30 goals this year as a 39-year-old. That's not what I was looking for to get a contract at 39 by any means."

Brouwer bolted the Blues after one season after being acquired via trade with the Washington Capitals for popular T.J. Oshie, signing a four-year, $18 million contract with the Calgary Flames; he was instrumental in the Blues' run to the conference final and finished with eight goals and five assists in 20 playoff games after 18 goals and 39 points in 82 regular season games.

Unlike Backes, 32, who had an emotional investment in the city and franchise, Brouwer, 30, who said he'd welcome a return, moves on where he's building a summer home with his wife and kids and where his father live. Now he can call Calgary his permanent home.

"Al MacInnis, Marty Brodeur and I met with Troy's representatives and David's representatives in Buffalo and we made an offer (to Brouwer's agent Craig Oster) what we felt was a strong offer and it didn't get the deal done," Armstrong said. "We didn't really alter from that position. Troy, through his representative, was in a little bit different position than David. Troy really liked his time here and I think he wanted to remain here, but he didn't have the ties to the community. The offers were going to have to equal out for him to stay. We were a little bit shy of that offer so he decided to move on. I certainly respect and understand that because he's been here for a year. I think he really enjoyed his time here, but his roots weren't nearly as deep as David's."

Ott, acquired along with Ryan Miller in March of 2014, spent two-plus seasons with the Blues after coming to them from the Buffalo Sabres; he signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

The 33-year-old Ott scored three goals and had 17 points in 122 games with the Blues.

The 28-year-old, who had 84 goals and 114 assists in his first six NHL seasons in St. Louis, circles back to where it all began after stints with the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks.

"Ever since the day that I got traded from St. Louis, I kind of always felt something in wanting to eventually (returning) ... and I didn't know the possibility would ever be there, but St. Louis is home to me," Perron said. "Being drafted there, grew up there a lot as a player and as a person.

"They called right away as soon as the (free agency) window opened."  

Perron, who has 141 goals in 570 career games, was traded to the Oilers in 2013 because of salary cap restraints for left wing Magnus Paajarvi and a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft that the Blues used to pick Ivan Barbashev. 

Perron, 28, scored 28 goals with Oilers in 2013-14, but since, he's been traded near midseason in each of the past two seasons; from Edmonton to the Penguins in 2014-15, and from Pittsburgh to the Ducks in January 2016. Each time he's gotten off to a good start before being slowed by inconsistency or injury.

The left wing had 20 points in 28 games after the Ducks acquired him in a trade for forward Carl Hagelin before a separated shoulder forced him to miss the last three weeks of the regular season. However, he returned for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and had one goal and two assists in Anaheim's seven-game loss to the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference First Round.

"Like all players, David's matured," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "He was part of that young group that was thrust onto the scene, maybe a little bit before they were ready. They were asked to do a lot of the heavy lifting at an early age. Now, he's coming back as a much more mature player on and off the ice. I think we'll be the benefactors of that. 

"The other thing too is he's 28 years old and you saw how well he played after the trade to Anaheim. I think he had 20 points in 28 games. We view him as a player that can certainly play in the top nine. He can play left wing or right wing. It gives the coach some options. I know when I talked to him, he was very excited about the opportunity to come back to St. Louis. He still has a warm spot for the fans and the city. When you have players, they're looking to go elsewhere, but players that have been here, they're looking to come back. It was nice to hear the excitement in David's voice about returning to the city and the team that drafted him."

Allen, who will turn 26 on Aug. 7, had one year remaining on a two-year, $4.7 million contract he signed before last season. Allen set career highs in games (47), wins (26) and save percentage (.920) in 2015-16, helping St. Louis reach the Western Conference Final before losing to the San Jose Sharks in six games.

"It's a great feeling for me," Allen said. "I'm extremely happy. To be able to be drafted as a Blue and not be able to wear the blue note for a long time is a pretty great feeling.

"I've come a long ways since I was 17 years old and this is just the beginning. I feel like we've got a plan to follow and this is just part of that." 

Allen will be the Blues starter in goal for 2016-17. St. Louis traded goalie Brian Elliott, who split time with Allen last season, to the Calgary Flames last week for a second-round pick (No. 35) in the 2016 NHL Draft. Allen has won 57 of his 99 career NHL games and has a .915 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average.

"When you get that call from management, and they tell you, 'This is what we want,' it's a pretty good feeling on my part," Allen said. "The agents do their thing with Doug and move to common ground. I felt it was a good deal for both of us. I think they're real happy and so am I."

The trade for Elliott at the NHL Draft expedited the process of signing Allen long-term, which is something Armstrong wanted done quickly.

"These were worked in unison with each other and we were very comfortable and we knew that we were going to be able to get Jake done," Armstrong said. "... Internally, we feel Jake is the guy. I talked extensively to (goalie coach) Jim Corsi and (assistant GM) Marty Brodeur about it. Everybody was feeling it's Jake's team now, it's Jake's turn and it made it easier. We really feel that Jake is going to be a real good player and he wants the ball and he's got it now. You're sort of seeing this with other organizations too that are looking to the younger goalies to grab hold of it. We're no different."

(St. Louis Blues photo)

David Perron will don the Bluenote again after signing a

two-year contract on Friday.

Hutton, 30, spent the past three seasons with the Nashville Predators. Hutton was 7-5-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and two shutouts in 17 games (15 starts) with Nashville last season.

In 76 career games with the Predators and Chicago Blackhawks, Hutton is 33-24-12 with a 2.56 goals-against average, .910 save percentage and four shutouts.

"I relied heavily on Jimmy and Marty's input there," Armstrong said. "We put a list of goaltenders out there and he was at the top of our list. It was he and one other guy who were sort of 1 and 1A. He got in there a couple years ago when (Pekka) Rinne got hurt and had a really good run with Nashville. We know people that play in Nashville and we talked to them about him. A lot like Brian Elliott, a great teammate. Someone that is looking to push Jake but also understands that he's a mentor and a solid partner. There's a lot of positives with bringing him in. It just seems like the proper guy that has the experience that Jake can lean on."