The St. Louis Blues have several salary cap issues heading into the 2023-24 season. Most of those issues lie on their blue line, where they have nearly $30 million tied up this season. Despite issues on the blue line, they have a few notable contracts in their forward group.
After having zero contracts with an annual average value (AAV) above $8 million last season, the Blues now have two with Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas both making $8.125 million per year for the next eight years. However, neither of them is the focus of this piece, but that’s not to say those aren’t good deals for the Blues. Let’s get into the three best Blues’ contracts for the 2023-24 season.
3. Sammy Blais, Left Wing
$1 million AAV through the 2023-24 season
The Blues re-acquired Sammy Blais in the Vladimir Tarasenko trade with the New York Rangers prior to the trade deadline last season. Blais spent four seasons with the Blues before being traded to the Rangers in the 2021 offseason for Pavel Buchnevich. His time in New York was rough as he missed time with a torn ACL and scored zero goals in 54 games as a Ranger. However, things changed for the better when he made his return to the Blues.
In 31 games with the Blues after the trade last season, Blais tallied nine goals, 11 assists, and 20 points with a plus/minus of plus-3. He elevated his game to an entirely new level with the Blues and carried that into his time with Team Canada in the World Championships over the summer as they won a gold medal. In a stroke of genius, Blues general manager (GM) Doug Armstrong gave Blais a one-year, $1 million extension for this season before the offseason began. He could prove Armstrong right if he plays well this season and carries his confidence into this season.
2. Jakub Vrána, Left Wing
$2.6 million AAV through the 2023-24 season
The Blues traded for Jakub Vrána on the day of the trade deadline last season in a deal with the Detroit Red Wings. After his struggles in Detroit, the Blues got him for a minor league forward Dylan McLaughlin and a 2025 seventh-round pick. The Red Wings also retained 50 percent of Vrána’s salary for the remainder of his contract, which ends after this season. This was a smart trade by Armstrong to take a chance on Vrána, who needed a change of scenery after struggles on and off the ice with the Red Wings.
Related: Blues Added Valuable Assets at 2023 Trade Deadline
Vrána is worth much more than the $2.6 million that the Blues will be paying him this season against the salary cap. He has two seasons with 20-plus goals and I believe he still has 30-goal potential, especially if he gets more opportunities alongside a passer as good as Thomas. He had 10 goals in 20 games with the Blues last season, including four on the power play and two game-winning goals. This is a steal for the Blues this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he re-signed with the Blues if all goes well this season.
1. Pavel Buchnevich, Left Wing
$5.8 million AAV through the 2024-25 season
For the second straight season, Pavel Buchnevich has the best contract on the Blues roster. Not only did Armstrong rob the Rangers in acquiring Buchnevich before the 2021-22 season, but he also re-signed him to a four-year deal with an AAV of under $6 million. This is one of Armstrong’s best moves in his decade-plus as the GM of the Blues, and it’s not even debatable.
Buchnevich is one of the best wingers in the league right now, and I don’t think he gets the recognition he deserves. Despite a couple of injury issues over the past two seasons with the Blues, Buchnevich recorded over a point per game in both seasons. Last season, he scored 26 goals and 41 assists for 67 points in 63 games last season, including 44 points at even strength. He has a staggering 143 points in 136 games with the Blues, and he’s become one of the most reliable scorers they’ve had in years. He is a phenomenal player, so hopefully he gets the recognition he deserves as he continues to produce.
The Blues’ three best contracts that I picked being all wingers might not be the best thing in the world for this roster, but there are other players that could’ve cracked this list. There’s no doubt that Blais, Vrána, and Buchnevich have the three strongest cases, which is why they are on the list. The Blues will need plenty of production from these three and others as they attempt to get back into the playoffs this season.
