ST. LOUIS -- Tyler Tucker could have had options.
The 24-year-old, who has played 72 games in the NHL spanning three seasons, could have become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent should he not reach 80 career games by season's end. Should be play in eight of the final 21 games, it's a moot point and Tucker would then be a restricted free agent. But that's all water under the bridge now because the contract is secure and in tow now.
"Obviously I was playing some good hockey," said Tucker, who will make $900,000 next season and $950,000 in 2026-27. "There wasn't too much talk, and then it just kind of came about and happened pretty quick. Obviously very happy with how it played out and excited to be here for another two years."
Tucker knew of his options had he chose to wait it out, but he will get a nice raise over his current contract of two years, $1.6 million ($800,000 AAV) and just felt like the fit is best for the franchise that selected him in the seventh round of the 2018 NHL Draft. And the thought process was not to even allow it to get to that point.
That's kind of how I looked at it," Tucker said. "I enjoy being here. This is the only place I've ever been, and hopefully I can stay here for a long time, but I'm very pleased with how it played out, how quick it happened. Just excited to be here, excited for the next two years."
At 6-foot-1, 204 pounds, Tucker is one of the known commodities that has the size and physicality that the Blues can use when inserted into the lineup, someone who most definitely has grown under coach Jim Montgomery.
"Tyler Tucker has been really good for us in the sense that he brings toughness, his execution has been really good, his ability to make plays is underrated in our opinion," Montgomery said. "And just the energy he brings in our locker room, the camaraderie of the type of person he is and the way he plays is something we think is infectious in the locker room and on the ice."
The message from coach to player seems to have resonated.
"Obviously he's a very easy guy to play for as a coach," Tucker said. "I think he does a really good job of just communicating with guys, getting his message across. Obviously he's coached some good hockey teams in the past. Very easy to play for and I think guys want to show up and work for him."
"Obviously being in the lineup for however many games it was was something new to me," Tucker said. "Obviously in the past years, it's been in and out, so I think just having that and obviously we've got a lot of guys here that you can learn a lot from. I think just having that stability made it pretty easy to get into a rhythm and keep it that way."