(Get) A Sporting Life

This comes as a bit of a surprise, as it certainly looked like he would have been a big chip to possibly move at the trade deadline, but the Blues have signed Barret Jackman for 4 years, $14.4 million. St. Louis Game Time has some details: ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President John Davidson announced today that defenseman Barret Jackman has agreed to a contract extension with the club. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Barret has been a staple on the blueline for the Blues since his rookie season,” said Davidson. “He logs plenty of minutes per game and will continue to be a key part of our team as we move forward.” “I have said all along that I wanted to remain in St. Louis,” said Jackman. “The Blues drafted me, I met my wife here and I want to raise a family here. I’m excited about the direction of this franchise and love playing in front of Blues fans.” You've gotta love the commitment to the Blues shown by Jacks. And certainly you can see the brain trust h...

For all the bitching from Blues fans about the howlingly bad play from Brewer the last three weeks or so (here is a good example ), you might have figured that his was the worst blueline performance. You'd be wrong. By every measure Barret Jackman's play has been terrible. Jackman: GP G A Pts +/- PIM PP SHG GWG S SPct. 30-0-3-3-(-13)- -29 -0-- 0-- 0--- 32 -0.00 Brewer: GP G A Pts +/- PIM PP SHG GWG S SPct. 25 -1- 6- 7 -(-5)- 27-- 0--0 ---0-- 36- 2.78 Yet, for some reason, Jackman mostly gets a pass from Blues fans. I don't get it. Brewer's upside is so much greater than our other defensemen (with the exception of Johnson), that it makes no sense to attempt to run him out of town. Brewer was terrific the last 30+ games of last season, and he didn't start badly this one either. True, he has been an outright liability out there for awhile, and I certainly hope he gets some confidence back and quickly. But, to my mind, it is Jackman that has been the biggest disappointm...