Blues re-sign Berglund to 3 year deal

[dmiles2186]

The board won't be happy with this one.

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[STLADOGG]

?

[KrustyKevo]

What the (Frank)? I don't even

[KrustyKevo]

There is no way Berglund deserves more than 1m a year, in my opinion

[dmiles2186]

There is no way Berglund deserves more than 1m a year, in my opinion

I was going to say, I would have been cool if this was 3rd liner money he was getting. But this isn't 3rd liner money.

[KrustyKevo]

There is no way Berglund deserves more than 1m a year, in my opinion

I was going to say, I would have been cool if this was 3rd liner money he was getting. But this isn't 3rd liner money.

Let's face it, the guy is an NHL player that consistently plays at an AHL level. I would sooner pay Cracknell 3mil than Berglund.

[cardsfan04]

There is no way Berglund deserves more than 1m a year, in my opinion

I was going to say, I would have been cool if this was 3rd liner money he was getting. But this isn't 3rd liner money.

Exactly. I was expecting to see that we got him for like $2.25 mil or something, not $3.7. Oh well, hopefully this will be the year he finally lives to his potential. You know what they always say. "7th time is the charm."

[Toasted Oates]

Gotta be sign and trade. Gotta be.

[dmiles2186]

Gotta be sign and trade. Gotta be.

My optimistic side is hoping for this too. In the words of Lennon/McCartney, 'Let it be. Oh, let it be.'

[KrustyKevo]

Gotta be sign and trade. Gotta be.

Who would take on his salary, though? Or would we still have to pay it?

[cardsfan04]

Gotta be sign and trade. Gotta be.

Who would take on his salary, though? Or would we still have to pay it?

His salary hurts his trade value some, but if a team is interested in acquiring Berglund, $3.7 mil isn't going to scare them off. As fans, we may not like him, but the idea that he's worth $1 mil/year is pretty over the top. His contract won't cripple an organization's payroll flexibility and doesn't make him untradable.

[WaukeeBlues]

Depending on how Schwartz's deal plays out, Berglund is the 4th highest paid forward on this team.

He was the 8th leading scoring forward and if Stewart hadn't been traded likely the 9th.

Discuss.

If I'm Schwartz, I know my basement price now. Brilliant Army. Brilliant.

Oh well. It happened. Earn it Bergie. That's all I can say at this point.

[WaukeeBlues]

Gotta be sign and trade. Gotta be.

Who would take on his salary, though? Or would we still have to pay it?

His salary hurts his trade value some, but if a team is interested in acquiring Berglund, $3.7 mil isn't going to scare them off. As fans, we may not like him, but the idea that he's worth $1 mil/year is pretty over the top. His contract won't cripple an organization's payroll flexibility and doesn't make him untradable.

And there's a few teams like Florida and Buffalo who are going to be struggling to reach the salary cap floor so for teams like them a three year $3.7 cap hit is a good thing.

I just don't know of a single player on Florida or Buffalo we'd want that they'd be willing to part with. BRING STEWART BACK

[beat2life]

unreal. Seeing that headline made me feel the same overwhelming despair I did the day we resigned Brewer.

[glen a richter]

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

[flyingnote38]

I don't think this is a bad signing at all. Locking in for three years probably makes him a more attractive trade asset than being an RFA with arbitration rights.

Even if he stays its not a bad contract. Berglund is not a bad player; he just should be better than his is given his skill set and size. That said among NHL forwards playing in 62 or more games last season, Berglund was 37th in the NHL in CF%. Of the 10 Blues forwards who qualified, he was smack dab in the middle at #5 right behind Backes and just ahead of Oshie. He's better and younger than most of his "cap comparables."

As far as Schwartz is concerned, this deal is largely irrelevent. This is Schwartz's first year as an RFA and he isn't arbitration eligible. So this doesn't set the bar for a deal for him, though if we are smart we ought to offer him 5 years at the same AAV, cause next summer we will likely be paying him more than this deal.

[Oaklandblue]

A player under contract, in my mind, is going to make a stronger case of trade value than any rental. Spezza for instance . If those rumors hold water, I wonder what the 'And what else' is going to be if it happens. At this point I'd ship Bergy + Shatt for Spezz +. Sorry, don't have a plus what in mind beyond it needing to be depth of some sort, no goalies.

On a tangent, I know we're loaded with wingers, but if the price is right, and it seems this guy's price is raising the Cup, what about Iginla? Looked great in the playoffs and is still very productive. A one year deal might not hurt? Or do we lack cap space if we end up with Spezz, et al?

[ViPeRx007]

It's a sign and trade, or else it's the...

[glen a richter]

Maybe they can help Florida reach the floor by trading Bergie for fla's 1st rounder then trade Rattie and Shatty for Spezza. Yeah that would be too good to be true.

[dmiles2186]

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/p ... 2d852.html

If the pre-NHL draft buzz wasn’t already heightened for Blues’ fans, it is now.

The Blues have nine picks, including the No. 21 overall selection, in the two-day draft that starts at 6 tonight at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

But it’s not the amateurs who will be added to the Blues’ system that has everyone’s interest peaked — it’s the possibility of the Blues trading for an established center such as Ottawa’s Jason Spezza.

General manager Doug Armstrong will need all of his pucks in a row to make such a move, and the re-signing of Patrik Berglund Thursday was possibly a pre-cursor.

The Blues and Berglund agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension, a move that because of its timing might suggest the Swedish center could be used in a trade.

Berglund’s three-year contract — his longest since his entry-level deal in 2008 — is worth $11.1 million for an average annual value of $3.7 million.

Set to become a restricted free agent on Tuesday, and holding some leverage with arbitration rights, Berglund has been at the center of much speculation.

The Senators are said to be seeking a top-six forward, a prospect and a first-round draft pick in exchange for Spezza.

It would seem to benefit the Blues to have any negotiating chips under contract. A trading partner could be hesitant to make a deal if there’s any uncertainty about being able to re-sign the player.

Armstrong was unavailable Thursday, but he was asked recently if Berglund was garnering attention from other NHL teams.

“Yeah, he would have a lot of interest around the league,” Armstrong said. “But he has a lot of interest with me, too.”

Berglund, 26, recently wrapped up his sixth season with the Blues. He has 106 goals and 220 points in 436 NHL games.

In 2013-14, Berglund had 14 goals, 32 points and was a plus-10 in 78 games. He suffered a shoulder injury in the second-to-last game of the regular season in Dallas and missed the first two games of the first-round playoff series loss to Chicago.

“I don’t think Patrik was over the moon with his season,” Armstrong said recently. “Moving from centering to wing, he never really solidified his spot anywhere on our team. We need more from him and he probably needs more from us.”

Berglund was one of three Blues’ RFAs heading into the offseason. The other two are Vladimir Sobotka and Jaden Schwartz.

Ten days ago, Peter Wallen, Berglund’s agent, told the Post-Dispatch in an email that there was “nothing to report yet,” and last week Armstrong said he didn’t expect any of the Blues’ free agents to be re-signed before July 1.

Armstrong has never been in a rush to sign RFAs in the past and it’s doubtful that the Blues were fearful of a team tendering Berglund an offer sheet.

But if the Blues are in the midst of making a deal, and Berglund is potentially involved, the timing of the signing makes sense.

Ottawa general manager Bryan Murray did speak with reporters in Philadelphia Thursday, but offered no update on the progress of a potential deal.

“The draft doesn’t start until (6 p.m. St. Louis time),” Murray said. “It’s very possible there could be a (Friday) afternoon conversation.

“I’m not a betting man, so I won’t give any odds. I’m not sure at this point. I’m certainly having some discussions, not as much as I thought I might have, but there are ... a few people talking to me that have expressed interest.”

In addition to the Blues and Anaheim, speculation Thursday added Chicago and Florida to the Spezza Sweepstakes.

The center does have a modified no-trade clause that allows him to decline a deal to a list of 10 teams that he’s already provided the Senators. The Blues are believed to be on his list of approved destinations.