Blues sign Nick Bjugstad to two-year deal

The Blues announced they’ve signed center Nick Bjugstad to a two-year, $3.5MM contract worth $1.75MM per season.

Scouring the free agent market for a third-line center, the Blues have found their man in Bjugstad. The former first-round pick of the 2010 NHL Draft is coming off a two-year stint with the Arizona Coyotes, and subsequently the Utah Mammoth, where he recorded 30 goals and 64 points in 142 games, averaging 15:04 of ice time per game and managing a 48.8% success rate in the faceoff dot.

Still, it was truly a tale of two years for the 13-year veteran. Bjugstad had the second-highest scoring output of his career during the 2023-24 campaign, only to see it fall to his fourth-worst last season. Furthermore, his 47.4% faceoff rate was the lowest of his career since his brief 13-game stretch with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2019-20 season.

His scoring depression has certainly led to the slight drop in salary compared to his last contract. However, Bjugstad displayed strong possession metrics in his last year in Salt Lake City, maintaining a 51.5% CorsiFor% at even strength, and quality defensive metrics with a 90.8% on-ice save percentage at even strength.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the Blues will be limited by their financial flexibility. Unless another move is made, Bjugstad will likely play between Jake Neighbours and Mathieu Joseph on the team’s third line.