Good, Good and Good

Since I last discussed the Blues they have been busy, signing Eric Brewer to a four year deal and Manny Legace for a two year deal, and trading Keith Tkachuk to the Atlanta Thrashers for center Glen Metropolit, 1st and 3rd round selections in the 2007 draft and a 2nd round pick in the 2008.

Eric Brewer: The Blues enticed him with a four year deal worth a reported $17 million dollar. This is perfect. Averaging a little over $4 million a yer for a player of Brewer's quality is not paying too much. The length of the contract is actually better for the Blues than I was expecting. I thought a three year deal was more likely, but maybe they were able to swap adding "no-trade" language in the contract for a fourth year. The end result is the same: The Blues are going to be strong on the blue line for years to come.

Manny Legace: Manny gets a two year deal worth $4.3 million. once again, this is perfect. The Blues are stocked (overstocked?) with goal-tending prospects and, who knows, maybe one of those will rise to the top in the future. But, right now, the Blues needed stability in goal and Legace has brought that this year.

Keith Tkachuk : It was bandied about that the Blues were holding out for a 1st round pick and a prospect in the Tkachuk/Guerin sweepstakes. Obviously, they didn't get a prospect in the deal with Atlanta, but I'd have to say the deal is a rousing success. You get three draft picks, plus, if Tkachuck resigns with Atlanta during the off-season the Blues would get another 1st rounder in 2008. In Glen Metropolit you get a useful player. He is 32 years old, so he is in no way a prospect, but the Blues are a little thin at Center these days so he will help in the short run.

I actually used to see Metropolit play a lot when I lived in Washington DC. The Capitals had him bouncing up and down from the minors like a super-ball, but I always thought he played a pretty nice offensive game. He is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer (unfortunately), but you should be able to slot him into the lineup for the rest of the season.

This leaves Guerin on the sell block at the moment. The Tkachuk deal has done nothing to soften the market, so the Blues are still sittin' pretty.

For a change!