The battle lines continue to be drawn in the Western Conference, as the St. Louis Blues signed Paul Stastny to a 4 year, $28M contract. He increases the depth up the middle for the Blues, knocking David Backes down to a more suitable #2 role while also taking some of the depth away from the upstart and rival Colorado Avalanche.
Stastny was expected to get near a max 7 year deal with about the same cap hit average of $7M, but the Blues didn’t want to commit for that long of a term. Apparently they convinced Stastny that St. Louis, where he grew up while his dad, Peter Stastny played with the Blues was a good fit and he should accept the shorter deal.
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Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils have signed former Calgary Flames winger Mike Cammalleri to a 5 year, $25M contract. The Devils threw money around last summer on Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder continue to bring in depth scoring. Cammalleri adds another veteran presence who can put the puck in the net. The Devils missed the playoffs but were able to re-sign Jagr and now bring Cammalleri into the fold in an effort to get back into the post-season hunt.