Jaroslav Halak, the former Montreal Canadiens goalie, has signed a 4-year deal with the St. Louis Blues. The deal is worth $15 million.

Halak was acquired by the Blues last month in exchange for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz after the Habs decided not to go with the goalie who got them into Cup contention. In choosing Carey Price instead, the Canadiens had a lot of fans scratching their heads.

But now the 25-year-old Halak gets a shot at starting over and he seems downright pleased to have the chance in St. Louis. “I’ve been looking forward to playing in St. Louis ever since the trade was announced,” he said in a statement. “I believe in my abilities and hope to do some good things for the Blues.”

According to TSN, “Halak will earn $2.75 million in the first year of the contract, then $3.5 million in the second, $4.25 million in the third, and $4.5 in the final year of the contract.”

Halak posted a 26-13-5 during the regular season last year and was Montreal’s go-to guy for the post-season. He finished fourth overall in save percentage, posting a .940 and making good for ninth in goals-against average at 2.40. But it was his heroic efforts during the playoffs that put the improbable Habs in contention in the Eastern Conference far beyond where they deserved.

In any event, it’s good to see Halak getting the shot he deserves. Hopefully his play will elevate the Blues franchise so that they can take the next step as a hockey club by proving the Montreal Canadiens made a huge mistake.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The Montreal Canadiens have traded goalie Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for centre Lars Eller and Canadian junior right-winger Ian Schultz.

The move certainly settles the goaltending question in Montreal, as it’s clear that Pierre Gauthier has elected to stand by Carey Price. But it also seems somewhat strange, especially considering the goaltending performance Halak offered in the post-season. He was the key reason to the success the Canadiens were able to enjoy in the playoffs.

It is essentially a deal that puts long-term potential in front of rewards, though, and from that perspective it makes perfect sense. Gauthier went with the younger Price and sent Halak off to a club on which he’d see a lot of ice time, solving the problem of splitting the position in Montreal.

“I think they did the best thing they could do — keep one goalie and give the other one a chance to play most of the season,” Halak said. “It’s best for everyone that I was dealt and can start on a new beginning.”

St. Louis locked down Halak after telling goalie Chris Mason that he wouldn’t be signed to a new deal. GM Doug Armstrong was happy with the trade and wanted to ensure Habs fans that he didn’t get Halak for a mere song.

“When you look at the young defencemen and forwards we have, we feel we dealt for a young goalie who can fit in and grow with this team,” he said. “I think he’s excited to go to a team that will use him as a clear-cut number one. I think we gave up great value to get Jaro. It’s difficult for fans in Montreal because they haven’t seen Lars, but I think they’ll like him.”

The trade doesn’t change the fact that Halak is up for free agency on July 1 and that he has the right to arbitration if the Blues can’t sign him to a deal that works. Having earned $800,000 in the 2009-2010 season, it’s fair to say that Halak will probably earn a bit of a pay raise. The whole controversial offer sheet scenario could also technically come into play, so Halak’s future with the Blues isn’t set in stone just yet.

As for Price, he’s set to become a restricted free agent in the summer but he won’t be eligible for salary arbitration yet. He’s the top dog in Montreal now, whether fans like it or not, and Gauthier made no bones about his faith in the goalie by trading Halak. The only thing to settle now is who’ll back up the youngster. Gauthier has hinted towards scouring the free agent market for that position.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

The St. Louis Blues have apparently run out of patience with Andy Murray and fired him Saturday morning. Murray was let go just 48 hours after his former team coughed up a 3-1 lead over the Canucks to head to their fourth straight loss.

Murray was replaced by minor-league coach Davis Payne.

The Blues currently sit 12th in the Western Conference and have a 17-17-6 record. They’re nine points behind Los Angeles and the final playoff spot, so the losing skid wasn’t doing Murray any favours as head coach.

“We just lost too many games we were in a position to win,” Murray said. “Way too many losses at home, too many games we were leading. We’re a .500 team and we haven’t played good enough. Ultimately, that’s what I’m judged on.”

Murray received and deserved heaps of praise last season for his 25-9-7 record in the second half of the season. It appeared that he had given the Blues the shot in the arm they needed as they reached the playoffs for the first time in five years, but a first round sweep at the hands of the Canucks brought the club crashing back down to earth.

Since then it’s been business as usual for the Blues and Murray’s departure really was a foregone conclusion.

Murray was hired by the Blues in December of 2006 and was clearly not in everyone’s good books.

“I don’t think he was on the same page with everybody,” Blues forward Cam Janssen said. “I think guys didn’t know where they stood with him, and I think that’s not a good thing to have in the locker-room. I had no idea where I was with him and I couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. It was a bizarre situation.”

Regardless, Murray is a good coach and he’ll land on his feet somewhere in the National Hockey League. His style may not be for everyone, but here’s hoping he winds up behind the bench again as soon as possible.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Veteran forward Keith Tkachuk is coming back for at least one more year with the St. Louis Blues. The team signed Tkachuk to a one-year-deal worth $2.15 million on the basis of a decent season and locker room presence.

Tkachuk finished up the 2008-2009 NHL season with 49 points in 79 regular season games. He notched 25 goals for the club and helped the Blues make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Tkachuk’s veteran leadership is also a compelling component and he could help push the Blues even further into the post-season in the upcoming season.

“Keith is a veteran leader who played a key role with our success this past season, said Blues president John Davidson. “He and his wife, Chantal, are first-class people and have been tremendous to the St. Louis Blues organization and the St. Louis community.”

Tkachuk ranks eighth on the Blues’ all-time list in points (395), sixth in goals (195), seventh in game-winning goals (28) and fourth in power-play goals (91).

As long as he doesn’t show up to camp overweight and out of shape again, Tkachuk could make a considerable impact in the upcoming season. He serves as a strong power forward on the ice and can even help cool things down behind the bench every so often.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

St. Louis Blues centre Andy McDonald is expected to be sidelined eight weeks after breaking his left leg during a 3-2 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. St. Louis Blues head coach Andy Murray said that McDonald was hurt when he crashed into the corner boards late in the first period.

MRI results luckily revealed no further damage and no surgery will be required, but there will be some recovery time necessary. With the Blues sitting currently in last place in the Western Conference, this is certainly not good timing - if there ever is good timing for an injury such as this. McDonald isn’t due back in the line-up until mid-January.

“I was kind of right there. I just heard him screaming and you could tell,” said winger Brad Boyes. “He was in agonizing pain. You could tell right away something was wrong.” McDonald appeared to be avoiding a stick in the face when he buckled into the corner awkwardly and went down right away. He had to be helped off of the ice because he couldn’t put any weight on his left leg.

The McDonald injury is the latest in a line of injuries plaguing the team.

The Blues lost defenceman Erik Johnson for the season when he tore ligaments in his knee on a golf outing, goalie Manny Legace injured his hip and groin on October 24 while stepping onto a carpet on the ice during pre-game warm-ups, and rookie centre T.J. Oshie suffered a high ankle sprain on November 1 immediately after taking a faceoff in a game against Pittsburgh.

Legace, who is back to action after his injury, summed it up rather nicely in one of the most humorous quotes of the year so far: “It’s just unfortunate weird stuff happens for us to get hurt. Guys falling out of golf carts, a guy slides into the boards, some donkey trips over a carpet, stupid stuff like that. It’s unfortunate and it’s a part of the game, but guys have got to step up now.”

Indeed they do.

Posted by Jordan Richardson.

Welp, I rightly bitched about it when she did it for the Philadelphia Flyers and I’m gonna rightly bitch about it again. Sarah Palin is getting set to drop the puck at another NHL hockey game, this time in St. Louis when the Blues take on the Los Angeles Kings.

The announcement was made today courtesy John McCain. Um, thanks?

Apparently her status as “the hockey mom” is enough to make the National Hockey League forget their good sense and add a decidedly partisan spin to the game. When the Flyers did it, the fans booed and people were less than thrilled at the partisan face put on the organization. When the Blues do it on Friday, the perception will doubtlessly be the same.

Sarah Palin’s inability to name a single magazine or newspaper she reads obviously doesn’t preclude her from dropping the puck at a game, but she may put a dent in one of her $150,000 wardrobe pieces if she isn’t careful.

The NHL simply isn’t the place for this. It’s interesting to note that nobody has asked Joe Biden or, for that matter, Barack Obama to drop the puck at an NHL game. Why? If the NHL continues to, even on the surface, align themselves with partisan politics in the United States, it degrades the game and its players.

Enough with Sarah Palin, NHL. Leave politics where it belongs.

The St. Louis Blues have locked in one of their best players for the next four years. Brad Boyes, one of the top offensive players in the NHL, has signed a four-year contract with St. Louis worth $16-million.

Boyes is one of the most understated and underestimated players in the current game, quietly putting up strong numbers with the Blues. He’s second on the team with 47 points and second in the NHL with a 20.1 shooting percentage. Boyes has struggled as of late, however, getting just three goals in the last 17 games.

“I was definitely contributing earlier in the season,” said Boyes. “Now it’s obviously a bit of a slide and we’re all not contributing the way we want. I’m here to score goals and I’ve got to score goals. Guys are blocking shots, guys are making saves. I’ve got to score goals.”

“Getting Brad signed was one of our top priorities this season,” team president John Davidson said. “We are counting on him to be an integral part of our offence for years to come.” Davidson hopes to have Boyes continue to produce, but thinks that the 25-year-old can put too much pressure on himself to score. Instead, Davidson and the Blues would like to see Boyes work the simpler aspects of his game and contribute as a team player.

“We’ve watched him closely and we feel on many nights when he’s not scoring he’s the guy that gets the majority of our scoring chances,” Davidson added. “If he didn’t get chances, that’s a whole different issue. A lot of his goals are key goals. You look at our club in recent times and we’re clawing and scratching to try to score a goal.”

Boyes was acquired from the Bruins for defenceman Dennis Wideman on Feb. 27, 2007. He was a first-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2000.

The Anaheim Ducks have traded a key member of their Stanley Cup-winning core, moving Andy McDonald yesterday in a trade with the St. Louis Blues for Doug Weight, Michel Birner, and a seventh-round draft pick for next year.

McDonald was in the second year of a three-year $10-million contract. He had 27 goals and 51 assists in 82 games last season and played in his first NHL all-star game. This season thus far he has four goals and 12 assists in 33 games.

The main selling feature for the trade appears to be the freeing up of cap space. The trade frees up space for the return of defenceman Scott Niedermayer, who announced last week he was returning to the Ducks after considering retirement. Anaheim would have been over the cap figure next season had they kept McDonald on his current contract.

“Moving a guy like Andy is tough,” said Anaheim GM Brian Burke, adding that Andy McDonald was one of the better players to wear a Ducks uniform. Burke also seemed pleased at the prospect of adding a player the calibre of Doug Weight. “I know he can pass and he can compete,” the GM said.

The trade allows Anaheim the chance to keep their defence intact and formulate the same force along the blueline that helped them win the Cup last year. With a key player like Weight and salary cap space, the Ducks appear to be gunning for the post-season once more with the lineup to win it all.

The Blues win big here too, as they get to add a 30-year old player with gobs of great speed and top end offensive talent. Putting McDonald with the likes of Paul Kariya really speeds up the on-ice product in St. Louis, giving them an offensive upside they haven’t experienced in years.

Andy Murray will be “celebrating” his first year anniversary with the St. Louis Blues tomorrow. For all intents and purposes, it’s been a hell of a year.

December 12, 2006 saw the Blues in last place in the NHL as they fired head coach Mike Kitchen and hired Murray. Since that fateful day in St. Louis, the Blues have gone 48-28-10. This season, the Blues are 16-10-1 so far, which is good enough for second place in the Central Division. Going into tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers, the Blues are sitting in the 7/8 slot in the Western Conference with 33 points, good enough for a tie with Colorado and one point behind the logjam at 34 points with Anaheim, Minnesota, and San Jose. That is, of course, only one point back from Vancouver (35) and two points back from the Dallas Stars (36). Only Detroit is a runaway in the West with 46 points.

“After I came on board, basically we tried to sell a belief system that if we played hard every night and competed, that we would have an opportunity to be successful,” Murray said Monday. “You know, losing is misery. And you can either feel good about yourself and win and work extremely hard or not put the effort in and have that losing feeling.”

Along with Murray, the club picked up Paul Kariya for some much needed scoring assistance. They also grabbed a full-time strength and conditioning coach for the players and built on their veteran presence. Still, many people around the club think the recent success comes, for the most part, from Andy Murray.

“Andy has brought a system in and just a change, a change in the way people think,” team president John Davidson said. “Players believe in him, the fans believe in him, and nobody works harder.”