MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- The St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis] are keeping Nathan Walker around. The bottom-line forward signed a two-year contract extension for $1.775 million ($887,500 average annual value). The 31-year-old was entering the final year of a two-year, $1.55 million ($775.000 AAV) contract this season and will not be locked in for the next three years. "Obviously St. Louis is where we want to be," Walker said. "My family and I love it. Besides the on-ice things, the off-ice in St. Louis is very community friendly. We love it here, we enjoy it. The on-ice side of things, the culture here is where we want to be and obviously hopefully we can build off what we did last year. "It's always nice to have that stability, kind of have that in your back pocket for sure. ... It was pretty quick the past few days. I think it's something that both sides wanted and there wasn't too much to it." Walker played in 73 regular-season games with the Blues last season and set a career high with 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) while leading the team with 63 penalty minutes and 281 hits. "I think the culture of the St. Louis Blues, it kind of fits in with my character and my personality, my character," Walker said. "It's just a good fit for both sides. "Everyone wants to play 1,000 games and make tons and tons of money. We love it here, me and my family and I. I love being a part of the St. Louis community and being a Blue and the history that this place has is really something special for me." The fan-favorite Walker scored three goals in the Blues’ first-round playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets. "I just try and play my part and do what I can on the ice," Walker said. "To get that recognition is obviously nice as well." Last year was Walker's seventh season with the Blues after the team signed him as a free agent on July 1, 2019. The Cardiff, Wales, native and Australian international has appeared in 229 career NHL games and has 56 points (28 goals, 28 assists) and 122 penalty minutes. Walker also captured the 2018 Stanley Cup as a member of the Washington Capitals [http://thn.com/washington].
