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St. Louis Blues Sign Alexander Steen to Four-Year, $23M Extension

By Patrick Karraker

Apr 29, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Alexander Steen (20) shoots the puck on the Dallas Stars zone during the first period in game one of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 29, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Alexander Steen (20) shoots the puck on the Dallas Stars zone during the first period in game one of the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Alexander Steen will spend the next four seasons (and quite possibly the remainder of his career) in a Blues uniform.

The St. Louis Blues announced early Friday afternoon that they’ve signed forward Alexander Steen to a four-year, $23 million-dollar contract extension. Steen, who will turn 33 years old next March, was scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season.

The versatile forward has been a major part of the Blues’ success for several seasons now, and along with Patrik Berglund and Alex Pietrangelo, he’s now one of the Blues’ three longest-tenured players. Despite playing in just 67 games last season, Steen was second on the team with 52 points (17 goals and 35 assists), and he was arguably their most valuable all-around forward. Steen led the team in points back in 2013-14, collecting 33 goals and 29 assists.

While there are some mild durability concerns with Steen–he’s coming off offseason shoulder surgery, and he has a rather nasty history with concussions–he plays a less aggressive style than guys like David Backes and Troy Brouwer, and therefore he’s a better bet to hold up over the long haul. With the team having Jaden Schwartz and Jake Allen under control long-term with a decent bit of salary cap space still available for 2017-18, it made more sense to sign Steen to an extension than it would have with another veteran this offseason.

Next: 5 Questions as Blues Begin Training Camp

With the announcement of Steen’s extension, the Blues now have five key veterans–Steen, Pietrangelo, Schwartz, Allen, and Vladimir Tarasenko–locked up at least through the 2019-20 season. Presumably, all of those players will be among the group that the Blues protect during this offseason’s expansion draft. The Blues are permitted to choose whether they’d prefer to protect seven forwards and three defensemen or eight total skaters with no positional requirements. At this point, the Blues have quite a few players who will be coming off the books as the season ends, so with their extensive blueline depth it might be better for them to go with the eight-player option.

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