After appearing to sell big in order to secure a top goaltender for a Stanley Cup playoff run, the St. Louis Blues appear to be on the losing side of the “rental player sweepstakes” after re-signing Brian Elliott to a contract extension.
Elliott receiving a reported extension worth $7.5 million can only mean that Ryan Miller will hit the open market this summer when the free agency window opens. Miller was acquired at the trade deadline from Buffalo with Steve Ott in exchange for Chris Stewart, William Carrier, their 2015 first round pick, and 2016 third round pick. The conditional draft picks could get more complicated should Miller get traded before he hits the free agent market. Miller was the No. 1 goalie heading into the playoff series with Chicago, where he finished with a 2.70 GAA and .897 save percentage in the playoffs.
Elliott on the other hand, played pretty solid in a backup role to Halak and Miller, where he had a 1.96 GAA and .922 save percentage in 31 appearances in 2013-14.
Don’t expect the Blues to spend on a goalie this summer, because GM Doug Armstrong indicated that 23-year-old Jake Allen will contend for one of the two mainstay goalie positions. Allen played last season for their AHL affiliate in Chicago, where he has spent the last four seasons and won a career-high 33 regular season games in 2013-14.
