CHICAGO -- Robert Bortuzzo continued to keep himself ready for the time to get into the lineup with the St. Louis Blues.
But as the 34-year-old continued to skate and was a healthy scratch for 21 of the Blues' first 25 games, the writing was on the wall.
Bortuzzo's tenure with the Blues had run its course.
So when the veteran defenseman, in the final year of a two-year contract that carried an average annual value of $950,000, and Blues general manager Doug Armstrong spoke in regards of perhaps moving onto a new challenge a month or so ago, it finally came to fruition when the Blues traded Bortuzzo to the New York Islanders for a 2024 seventh-round pick, a 10-year chapter came to an end and the longest-tenured Blue had to pass the baton on.
"Ten years in one place, coming into the league, I never would have thought something like that could happen, but I can't speak enough what that city and that organization meant to me," Bortuzzo told reporters in New York on Saturday prior to facing the Los Angeles Kings. "They kind of gave me everything in my career, some of the best friends I'll ever have in my life. The ownership, management, coaches, I can't thank enough people there. It was an incredible 10 years. Having said that, to come to a place, another storied franchise that's been around forever, that's done a ton of special things as an organization. You can kind of tell they're held in high esteem as an organization. Thrilled to be here.
"We've had a great relationship. I thanked [Armstrong] a bunch for trying to find me a home. We wanted to try and make it work in St. Louis; it didn't. They were going in another direction, I think it kind of ran its course there, but for him to just be willing to work with me to try and find me a place, I can't say enough about that. It's a ton of class in my opinion and very thankful."
The Blues wanted to get more of a look at young draft picks Scott Perunovich and Tyler Tucker, and Bortuzzo was for the most part, the one who would have to sacrifice games and ice time as a result. His last game for the Blues came in a 5-1 loss against, coincidentally, the Kings in Los Angeles on Nov. 18.
"It is tough, but I think that's why I'm so excited for this opportunity," Bortuzzo said. "I felt like I've done enough to stay ready all year. I've kind of done this coming out of the lineup throughout my career. I'm thankful for the opportunity, excited for the opportunity. I've known that nothing's really given to you in this league. You've got to compete and I've had to do that my whole career for a spot. I look at this in the same light."
Blues coach Craig Berube understood where Bortuzzo came from.
"He wants to extend his career and I don't blame him," Berube said. "He wants to keep playing. It was circumstances here more than anything."
But now it's time for these young guys to start pulling the rope.
"For sure, they've got to step up and do a better job," Berube said. "They're not the only ones. It's a team, so everybody's got to step up."
Bortuzzo's career with the Blues will always be defined as being a member that helped the franchise win its first Stanley Cup in 2019 after they acquired him, along with a 2015 seventh-round pick, from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Ian Cole; he goes down as one of the longest-tenured in franchise history for games played among defensemen (424 regular-season games and 47 playoff games).
He passed the baton on to Colton Parayko, who has been with the Blues since the 2015-16 season.
"He was a great Blue," Berube said of Bortuzzo. "I think 10 years here is a long time. He was the type of guy that you can count on day in, day out. Great teammate, whether he played or didn't play, he was always the same, working hard, a real good teammate. When he did go in there, he gave you everything he had every night."
