The clock is working against the Blues.
At midnight, the NHL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement kicks in, and with it comes a hard change to contract length: starting tomorrow, no deal can run longer than seven years. That’s why teams around the league have been hustling to get long-term extensions done now, while eight-year contracts are still on the table.
Drake Batherson signed one with the Ottawa Senators this morning. Ryan Leonard did the same with the Washington Capitals.
Noah Ostlund landed a max-term deal last night with the Buffalo Sabres.
For St. Louis, the timing opens a small but important window. There are three Blues players who could make sense as eight-year candidates before the deadline hits: Jimmy Snuggerud, Jake Neighbours and Logan Mailloux.
Snuggerud brings obvious top-line scoring upside. Neighbours has already earned a spot in the team’s new leadership group.
Mailloux, meanwhile, looked like the real thing after the Winter Olympic break last season. Each has one year left on his current deal, and each would give the Blues some long-term stability if a deal got done now.
That’s the appeal from the team side. Locking in players through age 30 and beyond would give St.
Louis cost certainty and control at a time when the cap keeps climbing. A big number today becomes less burdensome as the years pass, and that kind of value can free a team up to chase expensive talent later if the opportunity comes.
The player side is just as clear. An eight-year contract means guaranteed money - tens of millions of dollars - and that matters in a league where injuries and regression can change a career fast. There’s also the new CBA wrinkle: contracts won’t be as front-loaded with bonuses going forward, so signing now would secure a major payday early instead of spreading it out over the full term.
But the reasons this makes sense on paper don’t mean it’s likely to happen.
Snuggerud is the Blues’ dream case for an eight-year extension, but he’s also the least likely to bite. A deal at this stage would cap his earning power just as the league’s salary ceiling keeps rising.
This season’s cap is $104 million, and 10 percent of that is $10.4 million. If Snuggerud signed for eight years at that level, the contract could look like a steal later on for St.
Louis - and a missed opportunity for him if the cap keeps climbing. The trend around the league backs that up, too.
Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson and Macklin Celebrini all signed five-year deals this summer, while Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras both went four years with the Philadelphia Flyers. Young players are clearly choosing shorter terms so they can get back to the market while they’re still in their prime.
Mailloux is the opposite kind of gamble. He might be more willing to lock in for eight years, but the Blues would be betting heavily on a brief stretch of strong play late last season after a rough NHL start.
That’s a dangerous bet on a young defenseman. If he turns into more, the contract could look like a bargain.
If he stalls again, St. Louis could be stuck with a long deal for a player who never fully takes off.
That leaves Neighbours as the most interesting name in the group. He may project as a middle-six winger who can score around 25 goals a year, which isn’t usually the profile that screams eight-year commitment.
Still, he’s 24, right at the edge of his prime, and he already has an “A” on his sweater. He fits the “team first” mold, and the Blues would likely love to keep him around for the long haul.
So while it would be a surprise if any of the three signed an eight-year deal before the deadline, Neighbours feels like the most realistic possibility.
In Other News...
Blues Could Be Watching A Young Center Standoff Very Closely
A young center situation in Columbus is worth watching closely, and it has a ripple effect that could reach St. Louis if the stalemate lingers. Contract talks between Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell and the players agent are moving slowly, with no agreement in place yet, leaving the sides without a clear finish line as camp approaches.
If the delay continues, the possibility of a trade could start to gain real traction, which is where the Blues come into the conversation. St. Louis has been looking for ways to address roster needs and has the kind of assets that could make it part of the discussion if Columbus ever decides to explore that path, so this is one of those situations the front office will keep tabs on even before training camp gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Binnington Is Entering Blues Camp With Real Pressure
Training camp opens with the Blues still sorting out their most important question in net, and the discussion has only intensified because of the way the last few seasons have unfolded. Joel Hofer has earned a larger share of the workload and looked steadier along the way, while Jordan Binnington remains in the mix as the veteran who has carried this team before and still has a chance to secure more of the starts.
The pressure is sharper now because new general manager Alex Steen appears to see Hofer as the goaltender who should grow into the role for the long haul. Even so, St. Louis also needs Binnington to show he can still be a dependable part of the picture in a contract year, which leaves the Blues with an unsettled competition and one of camp's most closely watched storylines still waiting to be resolved. [Read more 🡒]
Robert Thomas Already Has A Chance To Make Blues History
Robert Thomas has spent his entire NHL career in St. Louis, and now he takes on a role that puts him in the middle of franchise history. Recently named the 25th captain in Blues history, the 27-year-old enters his ninth season with the club as one of the organizations most important players, with 460 career points and a long runway ahead of him to shape the next chapter.
The appointment gives Thomas a chance not just to lead the room, but to climb a list that has long been associated with the teams most durable voices. Brian Sutters captaincy mark has stood for decades, and Thomas is already positioned to put his own stamp on that standard if his tenure unfolds the way the Blues hope it can. [Read more 🡒]