The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Nathan Walker to a two-year contract extension, the club announced Tuesday morning.
Walker, 29, has appeared in two games with the Blues thus far in the 2023–24 regular season, collecting a single goal. The Welsh-born Australian was already under contract through the rest of the current season at a $775,000 cap hit.
Fittingly, Walker’s new deal with the Blues carries the exact same terms as his existing one, but it runs for one extra year. He’ll make a $775,000 salary in 2024–25 and 2025–26, and it’s a one-way deal, meaning he stands to make the same in the AHL and NHL.
Walker had been set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming July.
The Washington Capitals originally selected Walker as a 20-year-old overage player in the third round (No. 89 overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft. Walker became the first Australian-trained player to play in the NHL when he made his debut with the Capitals in the 2017–18.
Walker appeared in one playoff game with the Capitals in 2018, setting up a goal by Alex Chiasson in Game 6 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals won that game to take the series and ended up going all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, in which they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
After that playoff run, Walker appeared in just three games with the Capitals the following season before signing with St. Louis as a free agent in 2019. He’s remained in the Blues organization ever since, appearing in at least one NHL game (56 at most) in each of the last five seasons.
Through 113 career NHL games with the Blues, Capitals, and Edmonton Oilers (who he briefly player with during his rookie season), Walker has collected 14 goals, 28 points, and 41 penalty minutes. He’s also appeared in five career playoff contests with the Blues and Capitals, recording just the one assist.
The Blues are set to return to action on Tuesday evening when they play host to the Florida Panthers at Enterprise Center in St. Louis at 7:00 p.m. CT.
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