Is the Jackman re-signing a good move?
The Blues have been faced with an interesting dilemma heading into Tuesday’s NHL trade deadline.
The club has two of their most durable defensemen ready to hit the free-agency market in Barret Jackman and Bryce Salvador.
Should the Blues re-sign one or both of them and leave the club with limited wiggle room to sign offensive help? Or should the Blues trade Jackman and/or Salvador and begin to work in some of their young defensive talent . . . such as Erik Johnson, Roman Polak, Steve Wagner and Jeff Woywitka?
Well, the Blues gave at least part of their answer with Monday night’s re-signing of Jackman to a multi-year contract extension. By giving Jackman a four-year deal that likely averages somewhere near $3.5 annually, the Blues are telling us that they will continue to rebuild the team with a defense-first mentality.
“He’s a lifer . . . he’s a Blues,” team president John Davidson said. ”He’s a person that can obviously give us some minutes, kills penalties. He has seen some power-play time. He’s got a presence. There was some legitimate interest in him throughout the league. But with us going forward, he’s a person we wanted in our lineup. He’s young and he’s got upside. He’s going to become a better player than he is already.”
The Blues were in a peculiar spot with Jackman. If they could pick two or three defensemen to start their team, he would be one of them. However, the Blues are in a bind with the $8 million left on Jay McKee’s contract, and the $3.4 million owed to Christian Backman next season.
So while they wanted to bring Jackman back, his situation presented the Blues one of their only opportunities to trade defense for offense.
Some fans will probably like the signing because it keeps intact the Blues’ defensive depth and brings back a fan favorite. But others are probably wondering where the club will go for scoring now that they’ve once again invested heavily on a blue-liner.
The Blues have nearly 39 percent of their payroll invested in defensemen this season, which is among the top-five highest percentages in the NHL for that position.
Meanwhile, they are are 27th in the league in goals this season with 159. They were 28th last season with 201. The club needs 42 goals in the final 20 games to match last year’s anemic total.
The Blues are 29th in the league on the power play this season, converting 14 percent. They were 29th last year at 12.1 percent.
The Blues had 85 shots on goal during their three-game road trip to Los Angeles, Anaheim and Phoenix and mustered just two goals. They were shutout Sunday against the Coyotes on 35 shots.
In the midst of a tight playoff race this month, the Blues have allowed two goals or fewer in eight of their last nine games. But they are 4-2-3 in that stretch.
The Blues need goals in a bad way.
JD will tell you that they expect more goals next year from a number of players. But that’s wishful thinking at this point.
Can the Blues find a player before the 2 p.m. trading deadline who can help them? Or will the team wait until the offseason to look for offensive help. Either way, scoring needs to be addressed.
JR
JR,
I’m hoping that this indicates the rumors about making a trade with McKee are true. That would unload his salary, and open up a roster spot for one of the younger defensemen. I would much rather see McKee and/or Backman gone than Salvador. I believe that, while lacking offensive up-side, Salvador is by far the best pure defenseman on the team. Thanks for the information.
Thanks.
Not what I would’ve done, maybe now they can get rid of at least 1 d for some scoring.
Guard your grille, don’t get your jaw broken again.
JR,
It looks like Prospal just got dealt to Philly. It seems like the deal terms are something the Blues definitely could have met. Did they not have any interest in this guy? He has 29 goals and 28 assists, it seems like there should have been some interest.
Thanks.
Well, if they can’t trade McKee, I wonder if the Blues will buy him out…
The focus now should be on next season. There is little chance the Blues are going to make the playoffs. They just are not consistent enough to get the points they need. McKee won’t be dealt because his salary is inflated and other teams aren’t desperate enough to pay it. This is even more true with Backman. Salvador, Walker seem the most likely to go.
Offensive help is on the way this off season. Oshie will make the club. Free agents will be available. Draft day deals can happen. All is not lost. We are ahead of where we were last year. Progress is being made.
Elliot… The Prospal move mortgaged Philly’s future for an immediate fix. That is something this organization should not do at this point.
Signing Jackman is a good move. The Blues lack grit throughout their lineup, and while Jackman can’t fight like he once did, he does provide a physical presence. They need that in the corners and especially in front of the net. His play has been inconsistent, but when he is on his game, he is a legitimate top four NHL defenseman. The key is keeping him on his game.
The Blues now have a core defense of Brewer, Jackman and Erik Johnson, by we’ll know by 2 p.m. this afternoon whether the other member is Salvador or McKee. At one time it was supposed to be McKee, but that hasn’t panned out. I’d still like to see them get rid of Backman, keep both Salvador and McKee, finish this season with that lineup, and continue to build from within while possibly going for one free agent scorer.
Tom is right. In past years, we’ll call them the “Turgeon years”, the Blues had anywhere from good to nearly great scoring, but were constantly looking to make a deal for that Third skilled Defenseman, Before the playoffs. Then we’d watch Macinnis and Pronger valiantly log eons of playoff ice time. Jackman may not be pouring in numbers, but he is adept with the puck in his own zone, and can make that first pass out. I have always seen Jacks as a faster skating, slicker passing version of Murray Baron, and he will only get better offensively.
The “scoring” that was allegedly available came at high dollars and multiple garunteed years remaining on any deal. J. Davidson and his crew have done a good job so far, I have faith they will land scoring in the next couple of off-seasons the right way.
Salvador for Cam Janssen?!?! That’s the best we could get for Salvador? Wow. I’d take a draft pick over him any day. Or I think I’d rather let Salvador play for us the rest of the year and walk for nothing in the summer. Better forget getting anybody of value this year if this is any indication. Sorry, don’t get this one at all.
I may miss the timing on this, but Salvador is a Devil now. I don’t know who Cam Jannsen is, but is he worth more than a bag of pucks? Or was this essentially a cap maneuver for JD? Thus far, I’ve trusted his instincts. I would really like to see Salvador back, since his contract is up. He’s contributed far more as a Blue both on and off the ice than many on the roster today. And we have to accept that community involvement for the NHL is a fait accompli if they’re going to rebuild the fan base.