St. Louis Blues Place Magnus Paajarvi and Chris Butler on Waivers
As the St. Louis Blues attempt to cut their roster down to 23 players in advance of their regular season opener next Thursday, they’re now being forced to make some tough decisions. Two of their toughest decisions to date were apparently put in motion on Wednesday afternoon, as forward Magnus Paajarvi and defenseman Chris Butler were both placed on waivers, likely with the hope that they’ll clear and be eligible for assignment to the AHL in the coming days. Both players will be hitting the waiver wire for the second straight season. Butler, who was brought into camp on a two-way contract last year, passed through waivers and played the first 14 games of the season for the AHL Chicago Wolves before returning to St. Louis. Paajarvi, meanwhile, began the year with the NHL club and played in 10 games before being waived in late December and spending the rest of the season in the minors.
As a reminder, the placement of these players on waivers doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t crack the opening roster. With that said, it’s unlikely that the Blues would place a player that they planned to keep in the NHL on waivers just for the purpose of creating additional flexibility.
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Paajarvi and Butler were both signed to new one-way contracts this offseason, so their failure to earn spots on the NHL roster presents an idea of just how intense the competition is in camp this year. Paajarvi, who is set to make $700,000 this season, had fallen behind veterans Scott Gomez, Scottie Upshall, and Jordan Caron, in addition to the promising Ty Rattie, on the club’s forward depth chart.
Butler, meanwhile, appears to be a victim of spectacular play by prospects Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson this preseason. It’s quite possible that both of the plus-sized blueliners could crack the NHL roster out of camp, especially if veteran Carl Gunnarsson is either placed on injured reserve to begin the season with a pulled groin or is moved to another team to make room for one of the promising young players. Either way, though, Butler was a rather easy victim considering his $675,000 salary and clear status as an emergency option behind the team’s top six defensemen. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Butler was at risk as the preseason went on, as he saw action in just two preseason games, compared to four for Edmundson and Parayko.
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If Butler clears waivers, the Blues have the potential for a stockpile of NHL-tested depth at the AHL level. In addition to Butler, the Blues are likely to have veterans Peter Harrold (274 NHL games) and Andre Benoit (179 NHL games) at Chicago. In addition to being reliable emergency options behind the top defensemen, the trio of vets should provide quality mentorship for the young prospects that are set to debut at Chicago this year: 2012 first-rounder Jordan Schmaltz and 2013 second-rounder Tommy Vannelli.