Another potential unrestricted free agent is now off the market.
The St. Louis Blues announced on Monday afternoon that they have agreed to a three-year contract extension with defenseman Barret Jackman. Had he not been re-signed he would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency on July 1.
The Blues did not release the financial terms of the deal, but it's reportedly worth $9.5 million. That would actually represent a slight drop in his average annual salary. His previous contract paid him of just a little over $3.6 million.
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“Barret has been a solid leader for our club, on and off the ice, and we’re happy to have him in the fold for the next three years,” said Blues general manager Doug Armstrong in a team statement. “He’s a staple of the organization and the community and his positive influence on our young core has and will remain an invaluable asset.”
A stay-at-home defenseman, Jackman appeared in 81 games for the Blues during the 2011-12 season and scored one goal to go with 12 assists while logging over 20 minutes of ice-time per game. He spent most of the season playing on a defensive pairing with Kevin Shattenkirk, and was part of a Blues team that was the arguably the best defensive team in the NHL allowing just 1.89 goals per game and only 26.7 shots on goal per game. Both of those numbers were the lowest in the league.
A first-round pick back in 1999, Jackman has spent his entire career with the Blues and appeared in 598 regular-season games.
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