Blues and Halak Agree to Terms, Avoid Arbitration

The St. Louis Blues agreed to a deal with their new star netminder Jaroslav Halak avoiding salary arbitration.  The 25-year-old Slovakian will make 15 million over the next four seasons, good for a 3.75 cap hit.

We could have called this, as our very own Matt Bennett asked agent Alan Walsh, via Twitter, why his client declined to file.  His response:

…good enough.  Thank you, Mr. Walsh.

If you remember, only a few weeks ago the Blues balked at starting goalie Chris Mason and his contract demands.  Mason wanted closer to 3.75 and the Blues felt he was worth closer to three.  Good to know they can get that top netminder at such a slender portion of the cap (Mason, of course, signed for 1.85 and a reduced role).

Unlike the playoff hero who actually won metal, Halak will take the road less taken and sign for a fair amount of money over a nice term.  After this contract he will be 30 and become a UFA.

This past season marked the first where Halak played over 40 games and he thanked Montreal by 26 of 45.  He helped them win at all times of the season and looks to do the same for his new team.

With Ty Conklin on the bench, he should continue to steal the show while surrounded by a strong young core.  Having a veteran goaltender should help him as the games start to pile up– in his five seasons of professional hockey he averaged only 38 games.