Now that the Blues have taken care of forward Patrik Berglund, expect them to now turn their attention to a number of other restricted free agents including fan favorite T.J. Oshie. GM Doug Armstrong downplayed the idea of wanting to get Berglund done first but in my opinion this gives the club a clearer idea of how much money they’re willing to give Oshie.  As I’ve written before, fans should expect Oshie to get either a one or two year deal paying him roughly $500,000 less than what they gave Berglund.

Oshie remains a big piece of this franchise moving forward and a one year deal to show he can stay healthy while contributing slightly higher offensive numbers could help him fetch a better deal next summer.

It goes without saying next season will be a huge year for Oshie to truly define who he is as an NHL player. There’s no doubt when healthy he can be a dynamic two-way performer, but staying in the lineup has been tough. Can’t really blame a guy for breaking his ankle but he’s had some tough luck during his first three years. Some of this can be attributed to his physical style of play which is sure to take a toll on any NHL player. This is why it’s important for Oshie to take his off-ice training to another level.  How you train in the summer can often be the difference between having a good career vs. a great career.

There’s a chance we see the Oshie contract take some time before it's finalized.

As I’ve already reported there’s a decent chance we see a guy like Matt D’Agostini sign a one year contract. 

Andy Murray Says No to KHL….

Former NHL Head Coach Andy Murray has turned down two separate lucrative offers to coach next season in the KHL. We could see Murray accept a position with the Swiss hockey federation where each of his three kids plays professionally.

 
How much is Roman worth?

I’m interested to see how much money a guy like D-man Roman Polak receives from the Blues. He’s another player whose season was affected by injury last season. With the emergence of guys like Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk, and Nikitin I will be interested to see where Polak is slated next fall. I see him as a second pair D-man who may also be a second unit PK guy moving into next season. Pietrangelo has proven he can be a go to guy on the PK along with Barret Jackman who has one year remaining on a four year deal.  Polak made $1.1 this past season, will he see his salary elevate to the $2 million range?

Speaking of Nikita Nikitin, will the Blues feel forced to give him one way deal to prevent him from considering the KHL? I’m told the KHL is not an option but I find that hard to believe with most Russian players, especially the ones who can make more money over there.  The sturdy Russian got better as the season progressed last season. The only thing holding this kid back is experience and the language barrier.

 Big Ben….

I would expect talks with goaltender Ben Bishop to begin in the next few weeks. He may not be as high on the priority list as a few other guys but he appears to be in the plans moving forward. Considering how much time the organization has dedicated to developing this kid it only makes sense to give him an opportunity to prove he can be a consistent NHL performer. The fact that he's probably willing to sign for $500,000-$550,000 could help him get the one-way deal he covets.

More to come,
Andy Strickland
strickland.andy@gmail.com