If I had to place a bet, I would say the odds are against Brendan Shanahan returning to St. Louis and pulling the Bluenote sweater over his head. However, there is a lot more interest from Blues President John Davidson than I previously expected.

After weeks of rumors about Shanahan, Davidson went on the record Thursday afternoon regarding the team’s pursuit of one of the most popular players in the club’s history.

“We’ve thrown our hat in the ring,” Davidson said. “When it comes down to it, Brendan has to make a decision that’s right for him and his family. It could be New York. But we hope he explores the Blues as a viable option.”

Here’s what we know:

* Shanahan is a sure-thing Hall of Famer who is in the twilight of his career. At age 39, he’s an unrestricted free agent who wants to play at least more season in the NHL, preferably in NY, where he’s been the last two seasons.

* The Rangers have roughly $1.5 million left under the NHL salary cap ($56.7 million) and probably can’t fit Shanahan in. There has been little dialogue between the two sides and the growing sentiment in the Big Apple is that the Rangers wouldn’t mind parting ways.

* Shanahan wants to end his career in NY for several reasons. He’s in the media capital of the world, and it’s been reported that he would like to get involved in media work after his career. He doesn’t want to  uproot his family, and in fact, he’s already enrolled his kids in a private school in NY for the upcoming school year.

* He has not ruled out the possibility of playing in St. Louis, even to those close to him, but it’s not a move that he’s dying to make.

* The Blues need help on the power play and they need more leaders in the dressing room. Although he scored just 23 goals in 73 games last season, Shanahan could help with the PP and he’s arguably one of the most respected leaders in the NHL today.

* Finally, we know that the Blues would love to generate a buzz about Shanahan returning. Individual ticket sales are going on sale soon, and his name (even as a possibility of coming here) might get some folks to buck up. I’ve been told by a few sources that Blues owners are more enthralled with the idea of signing Shanahan than some in the organization.

So, what do we make of all of this? Nothing for now, except that the Blues are going on the record as being interested. Could they afford it? The team’s payroll is currently around $50 million and they could get him signed for one year (maybe around $3 or $4 million) and stay under the salary cap.

To date, the Blues have not offered Shanahan a contract. They’ve simply had conversations with his agent, Rick Curran. Here’s what Shanahan said late Thursday night:

“I haven’t spoken directly with any other teams,” Shanahan told the New York Daily News. “But the ones that have contacted my agent have all been told the same thing: ‘My focus remains on working something out with New York. And we’re still talking with (Rangers general manager) Glen Sather.”

That’s why I wouldn’t bet on Shanahan coming here. No. 1, his heart is in New York.

From the Blues’ perspective, this would go against everything they’ve been preaching for the past two seasons. Davidson and Co. have continually said they’re going to give the kids (Oshie, Berglund, Perron, etc.) a chance to play. Adding Shanahan certainly wouldn’t be a detriment, but he doesn’t make the Blues a guaranteed playoff contender and meanwhile he takes away ice time from players who will be counted on in the rebuilding process.

That’s why New York has all but decided to let him walk. The Rangers have young players such as Petr Prucha who they want to see more from. They can’t push Shanahan into a third-line role because he’s too big of a presence for that. Do the Blues want to do that? No way.

Yes, Shanahan will put more fans in the seats. But after three years of missing the playoffs, the Blues must have higher priorities than sellouts. If they put a winner on the ice, they won’t have to worry about selling tickets.

The Blues may have a legitimate shot to land Shanahan, but at this point, in mid-August, it looks more like a team looking to make a splash that isn’t necessarily needed.

JR