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Blues sign Jake Neighbours to 2-year contract extension

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Tristin McKinstry | Last updated Oct 22, 2024 6:46 PM ET

The St. Louis Blues are off to a nice start to the 2024-25 season. And the team has received major contributions from their younger players. Blues defenseman Philip Broberg is off to a historic start in his first year in St. Louis, for instance. Another name making an impact early on is forward Jake Neighbours.

St. Louis has rewarded Neighbours for these early efforts, as well. The Blues signed Neighbours to a two-year contract extension, the team confirmed on Tuesday. This two-year contract kicks in on July 1, 2025. Additionally, it carries an annual average value of $3.75 million.

Neighbours is playing out the final season of his entry-level contract. The former first-round pick will be a restricted free agent when his contract extension ends in 2027. The Blues forward has scored two goals and three points through six games this season.

Blues’ Jake Neighbours comments on contract extension

St. Louis Blues left wing Jake Neighbours (63) reacts after scoring the game winning goal against New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (not pictured) in overtime at Enterprise Center. Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Jake Neighbours would have hit restricted free agency next summer. If he continued his hot start to the year, he may have been in line for a more lucrative payday. However, he chose to sign now in order to improve his focus on his on-ice responsibilities.

“That’s something that can be an added stress on you as a player in your contract year. For me, it was just exciting and puts it out of my head. I can just focus on playing hockey now and get to be a Blue for two more years, so very excited,” Neighbours told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday morning.

Restricted free agents, for the most part, remain with their original team. In fact, only four offer sheets have been successful since the NHL introduced the salary cap. Two of those offer sheets were signed by the Blues, and happened this past summer. St. Louis signed Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to two-year contracts to pry them from the Edmonton Oilers.

The Blues certainly may have considered the possibility of a retaliatory offer from the Oilers as part of this. Retaliatory offer sheets have happened in the past. Most recently, it happened in 2021. The Carolina Hurricanes signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet after the Montreal Canadiens did the same with Sebastian Aho in 2019.

Whether Edmonton would have made a move like that is unknown. In any event, Neighbours is a member of the Blues through the 2026-27 campaign. And he is certainly happy with this outcome.

“I know (the Blues) like me here and I like it here,” Neighbours said Tuesday, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I want to be here. Obviously, we have a lot of guys locked in for a lot more years that I really enjoy being around. I love this group, love all my teammates here and I want to be a part of it. Want to be here when we start getting back in the playoffs and being a real successful team again. We’ve already showed that we’re heading in the right direction this year.”

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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