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St. Louis Blues Sign Robert Bortuzzo to Two-Year Contract Extension

By Patrick Karraker

Apr 11, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (41) clears the puck in front of goalie Brian Elliott (1) during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo (41) clears the puck in front of goalie Brian Elliott (1) during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports /
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The St. Louis Blues have rewarded Robert Bortuzzo for his flashes of great play in 2016-17 by giving him a two-year contract extension.

In a rather surprising move, the St. Louis Blues announced on Thursday morning that they’ve signed defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to a two-year contract that will keep him locked up through 2018-19. Via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch‘s Jeremy Rutherford, Bortuzzo’s average annual value will be $1.15 million, making his deal worth $2.3 million in total.

Bortuzzo hasn’t played since December 3 due to a lower-body injury, and for the season he’s played in just 11 of a possible 36 games. With that said, he’s played arguably the best hockey of his career over that small sample size, registering a team-high plus-6 rating while collecting a goal and an assist. The 6-foot-4, 221-pounder is the Blues’ most physical defenseman, but he’s also made strides as a skater and a puck-mover this season.

His signing gives the Blues four defensemen who are under contract through at least 2018-19. In addition, Colton Parayko (restricted free agent after this season) and Joel Edmundson (restricted free agent after 2017-18) are both expected to be retained for as long as the club has control over them. That’s probably as good a sign as any that the Blues aren’t looking to retain Kevin Shattenkirk beyond this season.

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In addition, it’s possible that the Blues may be trying to market their defensive assets as thoroughly as they can in advance of next summer’s expansion draft. They can only protect seven forwards and three defensemen in the draft unless they elect to protect two fewer players and instead protect eight total skaters, which seems unlikely.

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That will leave a couple decently-paid defensemen (likely Bortuzzo and either Bouwmeester or Gunnarsson) unprotected, and despite their salaries, they could be more attractive options for the Vegas Golden Knights than the forwards that the Blues could leave unprotected such as Dmitrij Jaskin and Ty Rattie.

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