One forward and one defenseman on St. Louis will be playing for new contracts and their future with the organization next season
One thing is for sure, nothing makes an NHL player stand out and have one of his best seasons when he’s on the last year of his contract. Just ask Stanley Cup Champion Sam Reinhart.
Luckily for the Blues, none of their star players are in need of a pay increase anytime soon.
The team recently locked up Pavel Buchnevich to a six-year deal that will kick in with the 2025-26 season. His new deal expires after the 2030-31 season, which lines up with when Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou’s contracts end.
However, two skaters on the Blues are playing for a new deal in the upcoming season, and have a crucial season on their hands where their performance means everything.
Right winger Kasperi Kapanen and defenseman Scott Perunovich each signed one-year extensions with the team not too long ago. But, both have to show their worth in the upcoming season if they want to stay within the organization.
For Kapanen, this year will be significantly important to not just his future with St. Louis, but maybe even his future in the NHL.
The former Pittsburgh first-rounder showcased a brief glimpse of becoming a top-six forward back with the Toronto Maple Leafs to start his career. Unfortunately, he has struggled with consistency throughout his career, causing him to move down the depth charts.
Kapanen's speed is his selling point. His ability to explode in straight lines allows him to back defenders up off the rush or play as an aggressive forechecker. He can provide a bit of offense sparingly, but sometimes his feet move too fast for his hands.
The recent acquisitions of Alexandre Texier, Radek Faksa, and Mathieu Joseph have made the depth charts in St. Louis much more interesting. Not to mention top prospects Zachary Bolduc and Dalibor Dvorsky are ready to make a push.
Kapanen will have to earn his ice time with the Blues this year. If he loses his spot in the lineup, I wonder if he would entertain moving back home to Finland where he could be a top-line player in Liiga.
The signing of veteran left-shot defenseman Ryan Suter means that Perunovich’s spot on the Blues’ roster is not locked in. Now all of a sudden, you have him, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Ryan Suter bidding for that spot on the team’s third pair as left-shooting defensemen.
One silver lining for Perunovich is that his playstyle is unique and if the team feels they need more offense and playmaking from the backend, Scott will be in before Joseph or Suter.
Can Perunovich find a home on the Blues' blueline through his smooth-skating, new-age style of play as an undersized forward? Offensively he will have to produce to show his worth as NHL teams will favor the bigger rangy defensemen over him if he can't become a consistent 30 to 40-point defenseman.
Both P-O Joseph and Suter signed one-year deals with the Blues. They too will be fighting to earn their ice time in St. Louis.
As an organization, having this internal competition is terrific, and you want to have several depth options that make you comfortable utilizing.
However, I wonder if Perunovich, who showed that he’s a capable NHL-level defenseman last year, could be a bit unhappy with the Suter signing, as it could force him out of the lineup unless he gets comfortable playing his off-side.