The Blues signed forward Marek Svatos this morning to a one-year contract.
Svatos, 28, was an NHL free agent who was playing in Russia's KHL most recently. He had three goals and five assists in 19 games with Omsk Avangard.
Svatos practiced with the Blues this morning, but he needs to clear NHL waivers before dressing for a game, so he won't be in the lineup tonight against Chicago. He was placed on waivers at 11 a.m. today, so the team will find out if he's cleared tomorrow at 11. It's expected that he will clear since no other team signed the free agent.
"All teams have a chance at him, and we'll know tomorrow if he's claimed by another team, and if he is, he had a short-lived career with the Blues," general manager Doug Armstrong said. "If not, he'll be available for the coach's selection on New Year's Eve."
Svatos (5-foot-9, 187 pounds) is known in the NHL by his time with the Colorado Avalanche. He played five seasons (2005-2010), appearing in 316 games and posting 96 goals and 164 points. Last season with the Avs, Svatos tallied seven goals and 11 points in 54 games.
"Obviously we've competed against him, we've seen him compete for a number of years in Denver," Armstrong said. "He's got offensive capabilities, a good power-play player, and a player who isn't afraid to go into the hard areas to produce offense. It seemed like a gamble for us that was worth taking when we found out he wanted to come back and give the NHL a try."
Svatos obtained a release from his contract in the KHL and said talks with the Blues heated up in the last couple of days. He signed a two-way deal, which will pay $800,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the AHL.
"I'm very thankful for the opportunity," Svatos said. "I left Russia to play for St. louis and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to get my career back on track."
As a rookie with Colorado in 2005-06, Svatos scored 32 goals and had 50 points in 61 games. But in his next four seasons with the Avs, he broke 20 goals only once. What does Svatos have to do to be the player he was when he started his career?
"The last couple of years, I've been struggling to score goals," Svatos said. "My plan is to start with the first shift and I'll go from there. I really want to get back on track and start putting the puck to the net and making some plays to help the team win games."
Svatos' former coach, Joel Quenneville, is in town tonight with the Blackhawks, and he said that Svatos can be a very useful player.
"He's got a quick stick, he's a real tricky player, dangerous one-on-one, great around the net, great shot, quick hands," Quenneville said. "He's a real good goal scorer and a dangerous player."
Asked why no NHL would have taken a flier on him by now, Quenneville said: "Everybody has got their own needs."
The Blues have several needs, with David Perron and Andy McDonald both out with concussions and T.J. Oshie healing from a broken ankle. But Armstrong said there is more to the Svatos signing than injuries.
"We felt that with our situation ... not only with the injuries, but when the (injured players) come back, we feel he can contribute," Armstrong said. "This isn't a stop-gap thing ... if he plays the way we hope he can play, then we'll find out if there's a long-term fit."
