The Blues are having ongoing discussions with former first rounder David Rundblad in an effort to get the Swedish native signed prior to the June 15th deadline.

If the two sides fail to reach an agreement by the deadline then technically no further discussions can begin until after his season in Sweden concludes next spring. In actuality it could be as late as May before the Blues and Rundblad could pick up contract talks if the talented D-man were to represent Sweden in 2011 World Championships. In other words both sides would have a very short window to get a deal done by the June 1st, 2011 deadline if he doesn’t get signed in the next few weeks.

Based on the conversations I’ve had, there appears to be progress made and reaching a deal between now and June 15th looks to be a probability. If for some unforeseen reason the Blues are unable to get this kid signed, he would re-enter the 2011 NHL entry draft.

There are some discussions as to where the Blues would like to see him play this coming season. He is under contract to return to the SEL but it would make sense for the Blues to want him to join the organization next season. Doug Armstrong has a history of placing highly touted Swedish players in the minors before they make the leap to the NHL. He did this with a number of players in Dallas including Loui Eriksson and Niklas Grossman.

Depending on who you talk to there appears to be a difference of opinion as to which league is better when comparing the SEL and the AHL.

In the meantime Rundblad is currently in St. Louis getting acclimated with the Blues spending time with Patrik Berglund and staying with Hall of Famer Al Macinnis. He will remain in town through the weekend where he is undergoing testing and allowing the organization to get an accurate read on where he is strength wise.



Offer Sheets likely or unlikely?


Recent NHL history tells us the likelihood of restricted free agents receiving offer sheets seems unlikely but you never know. If a team like Tampa Bay, Florida, or the Islanders fails to land a top six forward by the month of August could we see a team take a run at a quality RFA?

Look how many elite offensive players are currently locked into long-term deals. Crosby, Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, Getzlaf, Perry, Kane, Toews, Malkin, Stastny, Kopitar, Havlat, the Sedins, Richards, Carter and I’ll stop here. All these signings and then some have greatly affected the free agent market.

This summer’s class is rather weak which means there could potentially be a team or two out there willing to sacrifice a few high draft picks if it means they get a talented player locked up long-term.

Teams don’t have to worry about losing a first round pick unless they sign an RFA to a contract that exceeds $3.1 million according this year’s compensation scale. Any offer sheet exceeding $7.729 would provide a team with four first round picks if the club elected not to match the offer.


Rink Rats!

Despite reports, the Devils and D-man Mike Mottau are not close to agreeing to a contract extension.

The Atlanta Thrashers are talking with goaltender Johan Hedberg about an extension.

Look for Canucks forward Kyle Wellwood to explore free agency.

As I reported on my twitter page at www.twitter.com/andystrickland Cory Schneider signed a two year extension at slightly less than $1 million per. This does not mean he won’t eventually be moved prior to next season’s trade deadline. Vancouver views him as valuable asset and I wouldn’t think they would hang on to two #1 goaltenders.

If there’s a team looking for toughness in their system then they may want to take a look at free agent D-man Ryan Donald who captained Yale University last season. Edmonton is one team who has expressed interest.

The Kings are not expected to re-sign veteran forward Jeff Halpern.

Expect New Jersey to make a run at D-man Tomas Kaberle who will likely be dealt from Toronto. The Devils are in need of a D-man who can distribute on the PP.

If they land Kaberle they would likely turn away from Paul Martin who will become a UFA if unsigned on July first.

Veteran center Eric Belanger does not look like he’ll re-sign in Washington.

Doug Weight still has his eyes on returning for another season. His shoulder rehab is going smoothly.




Blues Clues!


Even though Darryl Sydor interviewed with the Blues regarding their assistant coaching position he still is hopeful to play again next season.

Paul Kariya has yet to decide if he’ll play net year. I’m hearing he’ll wait for July and see how much interest there is in his services before making a decision. There’s talk of him hoping to return to Anaheim and play with longtime friend Teemu Selanne.

Still no news to report regarding the contracts of David Perron and Erik Johnson. I get the sense Doug Armstrong may want to go one more year before giving either player long-term money.

Players can hold out until December 1st if they so choose but I don’t see this escalating to that level. Phil Kessel is the only player I can really think of who was planning on holding out before he was moved to Toronto. We saw more holdouts in the previous CBA.

Keith Tkachuk, who is hopeful to rejoin the Blues organization in some capacity after this season, has nothing but glowing things to say about Philip Mcrae who is staying with the Tkachuk’s this summer.


The Blues would like to keep Mike Weaver but I’m not sure they are able to offer the term and security he deserves and what he’ll be looking for. It’s always interesting how Weaver is overlooked because a team sees other D-men having more upside. We said that the last few seasons with guys like Steve Wagner and Jonas Junland who are both out of the picture heading into next year. Wagner is no longer with the Blues and Junland has taken his game to Sweden.


The Blues are fully engaged with their off-season workout program as several players have been bouncing in and out of town.


More to come,

Andy Strickland

strickland.andy@gmail.com

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