On the St. Louis Blues …
Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: (chat) Asked about if Paul Stastny‘s injury played a role in the Blues bringing Vladimir Sobotka over this year, burning the last year of the deal and signing him to a three-year contract extension.
“My belief is the Blues would have brought Sobotka in even if they had a healthy roster. You could say the Blues are glad it worked out with Sobotka because they are banged up, but again I think they sign him either way. On the contract, keep this in mind: he wouldn’t be here if the Blues just wanted him back for the year. He wanted an extension to come back, or else he could have stayed in the KHL. You can read that and say “well, tell him to go chew on a tire,” but the Blues wanted the extension too. So they were willing to burn the year if it meant getting everything done.”
On the New Jersey Devils …
Andrew Gross of The Record: Jacob Josefson signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal last offseason. He is a pending restricted free agent that has arbitration rights. Coach John Hynes said they like his “character” and “work ethic” but want to “see a little more finish at time.”
“We have to make some hard decisions this summer,” Hynes said. “There’s going to be some discussions between him and us and where it stands you never know until a player actually signs a contract.”
Josefson has a goal and eight assists in 36 games this season. He’s been a healthy scratch and has dealt with a concussion.
On the Arizona Coyotes …
Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic: Shane Doan isn’t sure what his plans are for next season yet. It doesn’t look like the 40-year old has much left in the tank. He could have moved on at the deadline, but he wanted to stay. Doan has told people that he’s going to spend his offseason training with his son Josh. The Coyotes would likely allow him to return next year if he wants or retire on his own terms.
