5 Former Blues Who Are Still Free Agents

Day one of free agency was a recorded setting day for the NHL. More than 100 players found new homes on July 1 and teams combined for more than $1 billion on contracts spent on just the first day.

The rest of the free agency class is slim pickings now. However, there are a few intriguing former Blues out there who could be a depth piece for an NHL team in the 2024-25 season. Let’s take a look at five of those players now.

Kevin Shattenkirk is the most noteworthy former St. Louis Blues player yet to find a new home. The right-shooting defenseman spent six seasons with the team from 2011 to 2017 while in his prime recording 40 points a year and showcasing his ability to quarterback the powerplay.

Shattenkirk was originally acquired from the Colorado Avalanche by the Blues in 2011 in a deal that sent former No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson the other way. Then, in 2017, St. Louis traded him to Washington in exchange for Brad Malone, Zachary Sanford, and a 2017 first round pick, later used to acquire Brayden Schenn out of Philadelphia.

The 35-year-old defenseman spent this past season with the Boston Bruins, recording 24 points in 61 games, but was in and out of the Bruins’ playoff lineup. Shattenkirk’s age may be catching up to him, but he can still make plays along the blueline and is 48 games away from the 1,000-game mark.

Sammy Blais we would guess finds an NHL home before the start of next season due to his power-forward-like ability in a fourth-line role. Blais won the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019 before being traded to the New York Rangers and then reacquired by the team last year at the trade deadline.

Blais came in on smoke scoring 20 points in 31 games for the Blues to end the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily this past year, only scoring one goal, and seven points, and was a minus-11, averaging less than 10 minutes a night in 53 games played.

The Quebec native suffered an upper-body injury in mid-February, which led to him missing most of March. Despite his limited ice time, he still managed to lead the Blues in hits with 194 this past year.

Jakub Vrana given his age would be the most intriguing former Blues player still on the market. 

Unfortunately, his time in St. Louis did not work out after the team acquired him from Detroit in 2023. At first, it appeared like a promising return having scored 10 goals in 20 games before the end of the 2022-23 season, but he bounced up and down between the big club and AHL in 2023-24.

Formerly a 13th overall pick by the Washington Capitals in 2014, he produced at nearly a point-per-game clip (36 points in 42 games) in the AHL with Springfield. Vrana can provide offense, but can he do that in a bottom-six role in the NHL? If not, he’s a tweener at best, which can still supply worth in your organization.

Marco Scandella most likely will sign a cheap league minimum deal or be given a PTO (professional try-out contract) by an NHL team when training camp rolls around. 

Scandella spent the last four seasons with the Blues acting as a depth, bottom-pairing defenseman. He averaged 12:28 a night in 65 games this past season, registering eight points, and was a plus-2.

The 34-year-old defenseman has not been a minus player since 2018-19 (minus-13 with Buffalo) and he could still be a reliable safety-blanket defense partner for a young player cracking into the league. Additionally, he can be utilized in a penalty killing role.

Robert Bortuzzo remains without a contract for the 2024-25 season. He’s the longest-serving former Blues player on our list having spent eight seasons with the team (Won the Cup with them in 2019). His physicality on the third pair was always a welcoming presence and right-shot defensemen with his size (6-foot-4, 216 pounds) are valuable to have.

St. Louis traded Bortuzzo to the New York Islanders in December 2023 to give him more playing time after he had dropped in the Blues' depth chart.

It appears that the team is now open to having several young defensemen compete for the bottom-pairing position. However, if that doesn't work out, I wonder if they might consider bringing back Bortuzzo for his veteran leadership.