The St. Louis Blues and forward Patrik Berglund have agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $19.25 million, the team announced Friday. The deal will pay Berglund $3.85 each season for the duration of the deal and comes with a partial no-trade clause, per Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Berglund has played with the Blues for the last nine seasons since being drafted by St. Louis.
Blues agree to five-year, $19.25 million contract extension with Patrik Berglund. https://t.co/hHH6NU2UHy #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 24, 2017
Berglund has played in all 60 of the Blues games this season. The 28-year-old forward ranks second on the team with 17 goal and third on the team with three game-winning goals. Despite only scoring one goal in his first 30 games Berglund has found his stride in the second half of the season with 16 goals in his last 30 games. Berglund’s style of play and ability to produce points while slotting him anywhere in the lineup is invaluable to a Blues team looking to maintain a playoff position in the Western conference.
As LeBrun mentioned, Berglund didn’t want to go anywhere at the trade deadline, and this extension will allow him to stay in St. Louis with the team that drafted him in 2006. In 615 regular season games with the Blues, Berglund has scored 145 goals and 286 points across nine seasons since being drafted with the 25th overall selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.
In addition to playing in the NHL, Berglund has excelled when playing with his hometown Vasteras IK in his native country of Sweden. From 2005 until 2008, Berglund played in 92 games and recorded 45 goals and 97 points before ultimately joining the Blues for the 2008-09 season. During the lockout shortened 2012-13 season, Berglund returned to play for Vasteras IK, scoring 20 goals and 32 points in 30 games before recording 17 goals and 25 points in 48 games with the Blues upon returning to the NHL.
Trade Deadline Implications
For the Blues, this deal has heavy trade deadline implications. It’s been no secret for months, and even dating back to last season, that the Blues and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk are likely destined to part ways. With recent reports claiming that Shattenkirk has almost been traded in recent weeks – though the defenseman shot down those discussions by refusing to sign an extension with the teams that he would be traded to, this extension makes it all but a certainty that the 28-year-old defender will be moved before the March 1 trade deadline.
Additionally, Berglund himself was rumored to be on the trade market leading up to the trade deadline. Currently playing with a $3.7 million cap hit for the remainder of the season, Berglund’s contract was set to expire on July 1 of this year. The Blues could have sold him to a potential suitor (likely in the Eastern conference) if the return was deemed good enough, and if the Blues didn’t think an extension with Berglund seemed likely. The two sides clearly agreed to an extension, which will allow St. Louis to remain competitive in the race heading towards the postseason.
A Busy Season in St. Louis
The Blues have been very prominent in the news this season for many reasons. It starts, of course, with their 50th anniversary being celebrated this season. On a more negative note, the team also parted ways with head coach Ken Hitchcock during a slide in the middle of the season. The team has rebounded nicely with Mike Yeo taking over the reigns a season early, and that in itself has been a story that’s made headlines as of late.
The Blues will still likely dominate the headlines with Shattenkirk’s name floating around in trade rumors. For Berglund, though, the trade deadline will come and go without any uncertainty of where he’ll be playing for the remainder of the season.