-- Update | 3:30pm --
The Blues continue to add depth on the backend as free agency enters day two. Jeff Woywitka has returned to the organization he called home for 152 games between 2005-2009 today after signing a one year, two-way contract. The reported (per Andy Strickland) payout is $700,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the AHL.
The 28 year old spent last season in the New York Rangers organization. He also spent time with the Dallas Stars since leaving St. Louis. In 278 career games the one time Red Deer Rebels blueliner has amassed 9 goals and 55 points.
Most Blues fans will recall his name from the infamous Chris Pronger trade that sent the future Hall of Famer to Edmonton in exchange for former Blues captain Eric Brewer, Woywitka and Doug Lynch. Just feels wonderful to tear that wound open again, doesn’t it.
Hopefully my sarcasm was detected.
No, this is not the move to add a top 4 defenseman. Woywitka is Peoria bound as he and Scott Ford will likely replace Danny Syvret and Brennan Evans. The Rivermen defense is shaping up fairly well with Woywitka, Taylor Chorney, and Cade Fairchild tops on the recall list and Ford, Mark Cundari, Brett Ponich, and Dave Shields. In St. Louis the depth chart now looks something like: Pietrangelo, “?”, Shattenkirk, Jackman, Polak, Russell, Cole, and the three in Peoria. Who is the “?”, that remains a mystery.
A logical question tossed out following this announcement was “is Cole now expendable?” My understanding of the situation is that they do not want to part with such players. Not that Cole is one of the core members I talked about earlier today, but more because of his value as a budget friendly depth option for the next 3-5 years. Let’s just say the mood has to be right to make that possibility a reality. If the Blues can hold on to Cole and add a top 4 defenseman, it’s the best case scenario. As they proved last season, depth is everything in the NHL to survive the wild ride of an 82 game (and hopefully longer) season.
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Original Post
The St. Louis Blues' level of activity on the opening day of the free agency market can best be described with one word.
Expected.
No, the glitz and glamour associated with big market teams pursuing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter did not magically find its way to the Gateway City. General Manager Doug Armstrong stayed true to his recent comments and patiently reviewed the market for top 4 defenseman while
adding needed depth pieces to round out next season's NHL and AHL lineups. Far from the flashy pizzazz fans crave, but a more appropriate measured response given that reinvention of the roster isn't required (or desired) this summer.
Signing Sunday were goaltender Mike McKenna and two defenseman, Taylor Chorney and Scott Ford.
McKenna, a 29 year old St. Louis native, appeared in 41 games with the Binghampton Senators of the AHL last season. His 14-22-1 record with a 2.98 GAA and .918 save percentage doesn’t speak to his value to the organization. Besides his 17 NHL appearances the St. Lawrence University product has 205 games of AHL experience (plus 63 ECHL games) spaced out over seven seasons of professional hockey. At a relatively young age the netminder can bring a veteran presence to the Rivermen and capable backup services to Jake Allen. Originally drafted 172nd overall in 2002 by the Nashville Predators, McKenna has spent time in the Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators organizations. Paul Karpowich, the Blues 7t round pick in 2008, wrapped up his Clarkson University career last season and is likely destined for the ECHL next season because of this signing.
That feeling of déjà vu is real with Chorney. The 25 year old Thunder Bay, Ontario native split last season between the Edmonton Oilers and the Blues. He was claimed off of waivers by St. Louis on October 11th when Carlo Colaiacovo was placed on IR. Edmonton re-claimed their 2nd round pick in the 2005 draft, 36th overall, on November 10th. Between the two teams the onetime North Dakota teammate of TJ Oshie appeared on only 5 NHL games and amassed no points. He did appear in 50 games with the Oklahoma City Barons of the AHL where he registered 6 goals and 29 points. Chorney has 61 career NHL games played and registered 1 goal and 7 points. He is likely to be slated between Ian Cole and Cade Fairchild on the depth chart which means he will become familiar with the three hour drive between Peoria and St. Louis.
Ford is a 33 year old Fort St. John, BC native who is well traveled. His minor league career spans 380 AHL appearances with Cleveland, Bridgeport, Providence, and Milwaukee and 132 ECHL games with Fresno, Trenton, Dayton, and Utah. In 75 games last season with Milwaukee the 6-foot-3, 216 lbs defender amassed 4 goals, 11 points and 89 penalty minutes. It’s safe to assume Ford fills the opening created by either Brennan Evans or Danny Syvret leaving the Rivermen as UFAs.
There is one other tidbit worthy of note to pass along that may be of interest. Though the signing of top prospect Vladimir Tarasenko was not officially announced, the signed contract was sent to the NHL for registration. Huzzah! Plan the parade, right? Don’t rush the welcome wagon out to Lambert just yet. Armstrong offered no timetable for his arrival other than “this summer”. Fans will have to wait just a little longer for their first glimpse of a Russian Tank in the American heartland. With no development or prospect camp planned there isn’t a need for Tarasenko to come over till closer to training camp.
Speaking of waiting, the Blues continue their search for a quality defenseman capable of eating minutes and moving the puck as well as a veteran depth forward. Any concern over the perceived lack of progress towards filling either position is premature. The core members of a highly competitive team are already in place. Pardon the broken record digression, but the goal is to find a complementary player who doesn’t make the task of keeping said core around more difficult. Not revert back to the Laurie era. As Armstrong’s comments indicate, the Blues are in a somewhat unique position.
"We were active in talking to some players that we thought could help our team. But we might be a little bit different than some teams. ...we're pretty finite on what we need. A lot of the players that were signed today, they didn't fill a need or desire for our team.”
"Right now, we have 13 forwards under one-way contracts and then we have very good depth in (Evgeny) Grachev, (Jaden) Schwartz, (Philip) McRae and (Adam) Cracknell. If there's an area that we can improve before now and the start of the season, it's to our defense. That's what we'll look to do. With that being said, whether it's through free agency or via trade, I think it can be accomplished in a couple of different ways."
While situations can change in one phone call and Armstrong has proven quite crafty in his ability to fly under the transaction rumor radar, it seems as if there is no rush at all to make a deal happen. "It has to play out. The players that we're looking at, there's probably two-thirds of the league looking at them,” said Armstrong. “So, I think it's something that you just have to let it play itself out."
Who could twenty some odd teams be looking at that the Blues could be too?
One would venture to guess that there was interest in Jason Garrison and Filip Kuba, but they weren’t really looking at St. Louis. Garrison was bound to head home to British Columbia and the Vancouver Canucks for a six year, $27.6 million contact while the 35 year old Kuba made off with a two year, $8 million deal from the Florida Panthers. If Bryan Allen was ever on the list he came off when the Anaheim Ducks inked him for three years and $10.5 million. Considering the dwindling list of available defenseman that fit the criteria the Blues are looking for, Matt Carle remains the last, best, option on the free agent market.
At a point last month it appeared that the 27 year old Alaska native, who has put together three consecutive 35+ point campaigns, was destined to remain a Philadelphia Flyer. It seems as if the contact Calgary gave Dennis Wideman altered his thinking. Now the former University of Denver blueliner has tossed his name in to the hat. Hoping to land a contact in the same range is Garrison’s after the Suter sweepstakes concludes.
The question for Armstrong and the Blues is simple. Is Carle worth that level of commitment?
On the surface he certainly has a stronger claim to it. Carle has spent seven seasons in the NHL and played 471 games while pacing for 30+ points five times and concluding only one season below an Even rating in which he played in more than 60 games. At least his case is stronger compared to Garrison’s 190 games in which most of his success came in the last season, or just 77 games.
From an advance stats angle, the perspective changes slightly. Garrison finished the season with a 12.1 GVT (80th), a 5.32 On Ice Corsi, and 1.015 QoC where as Carle had an 8.5 GVT (172nd), 4.71 On Ice Corsi, and .589 QoC. It should be noted that Carle saw more defensive zone starts than Garrison who saw more than half his in the offensive end. Basically, Garrison was more productive against tougher competition, but the odds were more tilted in his favor.
Comparing those two to Alex Pietanrgelo (17.2 GVT (31st), 11.31 On Ice Corsi, .721 QoC) opens an interesting discussion. If Carle and Garrison are worth a 6 year deal valued in the $25-$30 million range, what is Pietrangelo? At least that much, plus more? Something in the neighborhood of Erik Karlsson (21.5 GVT (12th), 12.68 On Ice Corsi, .657 QoC) sounds right. Can the Blues bring in a UFA to be the highest paid player without some unintended consequences? Just pondering Pietrangelo’s future, not to mention Kevin Shattenkirk’s, might be enough to pass on Carle and any chance at precedent setting. If his price were to come down to something more manageable for the Blues then it stands to reason it’s a “discount” to stay in Philly.
If the asking price is too steep or he signs elsewhere and Carlo Colaiacovo hasn’t signed as well, then a return could be in order. No matter your feelings, good, bad or indifferent, Colaiacovo did have some tangible chemistry with Pietrangelo and is an solid option on the power play. The concern is all about handling forechecking pressure and his health. Honestly, it’s arguably time for both sides to move in another direction, but the Blues would be hard pressed to find a suitable stop gap replacement in his salary range. Keep in mind that the idea of Pietrangelo playing the left has once again been tossed out. Colaiacovo can shift down a pair or two and allow Shattenkirk or even Roman Polak to take his place. No doubt that is not where they want to go, but they should (will) if the only other option is a bloated UFA contact.
If not via the free agency then the other option is obviously to make a trade. An area of the GM game Doug Armstrong has become well versed in, and known for, over the last two years. The names have been discussed ad nauseam here, there and everywhere and remain the same: Jay Bouwmeester, Keith Yandle, and Paul Martin. Though those three may be popular blog and tweet fodder, there are very likely other names circulating about that haven’t been heard by ears other than his.
As Armstrong said Sunday…
"I think you talk to people that you think are going to be active. You just try and let people know what your needs are, what you're looking for. By signing one player might make another player available on your roster. So you just say, 'If you get into this situation let me know and I might have interest' ... not the free agent but to trade a player. And then I contacted some players I thought would be a good fit for our team. Some of them have signed with different teams and some of them have yet to sign.”
Certainly he could be referencing the situation in Calgary with Wideman and Bouwmeester or even Phoenix if they were to lose Shane Doan after Ray Whitney went to Dallas, but there are several other teams who have made moves over the last few days. Does Garrison push someone out of Vancouver? Does Allen free up someone in Anaheim? Joe Corvo in Carolina? Carle and Suter wherever they wind up? Is Toronto looking to clean up their backend? I’ll keep beating the drum. Options are there and options are a great thing to have right now.
Your Take
Have the Blues faired well by holding off and not taking on big contracts like Columbus did last summer? Who is your pick to acquire and why?
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Thanks for reading!
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