Let’s face it. The Blues weren’t getting John Tavares, and the asking price for Ryan O‘Reilly was pretty steep - can the Blues afford to part with a first, second, and young player? Probably not, considering they appear to be in a “rebuild from within” sort of mindset right now (please ignore the David Perron re-signing for that to completely make sense). Factor in Paul Stastny heading to Vegas, and the Blues’ options for a center were dwindling. So, after those three, the most reasonably priced UFA center on the market was Tyler Bozak, and that’s who the Blues snagged: Tyler Bozak gets a three-year deal from St. Louis with a $5M AAV. — Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 1, 2018 The Blues needed a second-line center, and that’s exactly what they got. Is it a consolation prize for the bigger catches? Absolutely. Is that a very reasonable deal? Yes, especially considering Bozak is 32. Three years is a good term - much longer than that and you get into absurdity. Bozak’s career stats aren’t in the same league as the three centers I mentioned above - his career high came in 2016-2017, where he tallied 18 goals and 55 points. Bozak isn’t going to be a top-line player, but I suppose at this point it’s nice to see that a consolation prize is a (kind of) second-liner, not a 3rd liner.<doc-sep>The Blues’ offseason is in full swing with the announcement of three free-agent signings on Sunday. The Blues signed forward Tyler Bozak to a three-year contract worth $15 million, forward David Perron to a four-year contract worth $16 million and goaltender Chad Johnson to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million. The 32-year-old Bozak dressed in 81 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, collecting 43 points, including 11 goals and 32 assists. The 6’1, 199-pound forward has spent his entire National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Maple Leafs, including each of the last three seasons as an assistant captain. Blues fans are more than familiar with Perron who will be enjoying his third stint with the club. The 30-year-old was originally drafted by the Blues, 26th overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Perron’s previous stints with the Blues included a six-year stretch from 2007-2013, as well as 2016-17. Last season, the 6’0, 200-pound forward had a career year. Perron dressed in 70 regular season games for the Vegas Golden Knights, posting a career-high 50 assists and 66 points overall. He also collected nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 15 postseason games, helping the Golden Knights advance to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. Johnson, 32, appeared in 36 regular season games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, posting a 10-16-3 record along with a 3.55 goals-against average and a .891 save-percentage. The 6’3, 197-pound goaltender was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins, 125th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Across eight NHL seasons, including stints with the New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames and Buffalo, Johnson has accumulated a 78-61-15 record, a 2.65 goals-against average and a .910 save-percentage. Internationally, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native represented Canada at both the 2010 and 2017 World Championships, earning a silver medal in 2017.<doc-sep>TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY, 9 In third period action, Toronto Maple Leafs center Tyler Bozak (42) chases the puck in the Blues end. The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the St. Louis Blues 2-1 in overtime in NHL hockey action at the Air Canada Centre (ACC) in Toronto. February 9, 2017 Richard Lautens/Toronto Star (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) The St. Louis Blues needed help up the middle going into free agency. We did not know how much help would be coming, but despite a big splash, a signing in free agency should not be overlooked. The St. Louis Blues seemed a little desperate going into the offseason, knowing and making it public they needed a center. That usually is not the best idea as it drives prices up, whether in free agency or via trades. Still, the Blues made the necessary additions. Of course, by now, we all know about the big trade that happened as July 1 was winding down. On Canada Day, the Blues welcomed in one of Team Canada’s best from the World Championships. However, they also added another Canadian center by signing free agent Tyler Bozak. Bozak became expendable in Toronto since the Maple Leafs knew they had the lead in the John Tavares sweepstakes over the weekend. Bozak walked from the only NHL team he has ever known, but ran right into the open arms of the Blues. Bozak’s stats are not overly impressive. He’s a steady player that plays on both sides of the puck. He is very much a player in the vein of Alexander Steen, with a slightly lower ceiling from an offensive standpoint. Bozak is good in the faceoff circle, which is something St. Louis has been extremely mediocre at the last few years. He has only failed to win 52% of his draws once and that was a season he was injured and only played 58 games. For all this talk of lack of scoring, Bozak is no slouch. He had 11 goals and 43 points last year and a 55 point season the year prior to that. He has only eclipsed 20 goals once in his career, but you are not really bringing him in for that. You bring him in for faceoffs, perhaps some penalty killing, for steady defensive play and an ability to set guys up. We cannot forget that Bozak played much of his career on some very bad Toronto teams. There is no reason he cannot be a 40-plus point scorer for the Blues. That said, we cannot overvalue the St. Louis players. There is no reason to think any of the guys on the Blues are going to make Bozak a 55-plus point scorer again. Nevertheless, his role with the Blues should be a little more defined. If nothing else, even at 32, he should bring more tempo and pace to the Blues. The one drawback of Bozak is no fault of his own. $5 million per season for three years is definitely overpaying, unless we see a big season from him. Unfortunately, that was the going rate. We might judge the contract harshly later, but you were not going to get a decent center for cheap in the 2018 free agent market. There were too many teams needing a center and the increase in the cap gave more teams more money to spend. So, whether we personally agree with the terms, that was what had to be paid. When the Blues signed Bozak, there was no guarantee the Ryan O’Reilly trade would go through, even if they were still working on it. Thus, the Blues had to land one center at least. Bozak would have filled in nicely on the second line. Now, additions elsewhere put him at the third line, which is even better. Bozak can focus his game on the grittier side, knowing there are players in front of him that should handle the scoring. He can also focus on penalty killing, where he was second in the country in short-handed scoring as a collegiate. Bozak is not a sexy player and he won’t wow you with his skills. He is the kind of player that can help a team win big games when put in the right spots though. Bozak should fit in very well with the Blues. While he doesn’t have the skills, he should be a very good mentor for Robert Thomas in terms of work ethic and perseverance<doc-sep>Share this Story: Tyler Bozak gives emotional farewell to Toronto, Maple Leafs Tyler Bozak gives emotional farewell to Toronto, Maple Leafs Article content Few 21st century Maple Leafs played as long as Tyler Bozak, absorbed the personal criticism in the early years, took the hit for franchise failures, while always taking the high road with media and the fans as he walked the streets of Toronto. And few Leafs ever summed up their feelings so eloquently as the 32-year-old Bozak in a goodbye message via The Players Tribune, released Tuesday morning after he signed a three-year, $15 million US deal with the St. Louis Blues. The emotional piece began with a perfect scene setter of the 35 steps between the ACC dressing room door and the ice – he’d counted off the distance enough game nights – a superstitious nature requiring him to be the second man out after pump-up routines awaiting the signal to march. “You pass this little roped-off section of fans, and that’s when it — that particular feeling — starts to hit your gut,” Bozak wrote. “By now, the noise is deafening. The building is rocking. You can barely hear the music beneath the roar of the crowd. You can see the blue lights bouncing off the stainless steel walls of the tunnel. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “I’d smack the pucks from our bench onto the ice for warmup. Then I’d hit that fresh sheet … and I would just kind of float. That feeling, man, it’s pretty close to whatever perfect is. “I did that for nine years. Being a Maple Leaf is all I’ve ever known. “So before I leave, I just wanted to say thank you.” Bozak, the son of a Global TV station executive in Regina, Sask., began as a member of the ‘Frat Pack’ with NCAA roommates Christian Hanson and Viktor Stalberg. He recalled in detail the day he met Leaf rep Joe Nieuwendyk, who visited him at a coffee shop near the University of Denver, among other NHL suitors. “Joe made it clear: I wasn’t going to find another team like the Leafs. And I wasn’t going to find another city like Toronto. I knew this. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “There aren’t any NHL teams in Saskatchewan, so the Leafs are a big deal. I remember Toronto’s games coming on at 5 p.m. (local time) Saturday nights. Dougie Gilmour, Dave Andreychuk, Tie Domi, Wendel Clark … those guys were legends.” Bozak had self doubts earlier in his career, feeling lonely as a 19-year-old playing Tier II in Victoria, B.C. “My first year I wanted to quit so bad. I called my dad so many times telling him I didn’t think it was going to work out. “‘Just stick it out for the year … you just never know,’” he’d say. After battling fellow prospect Kyle Turris for the league scoring lead, he was more established and played two years at Denver. “When I eventually spoke with Brian Burke about a contract, just thinking about playing in the NHL in Toronto was surreal to me. But I also didn’t want to go to the Leafs and just fall through the cracks — or break under the pressure. I thought about going somewhere warm, maybe flying under the radar.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content He signed a two-year deal with the Leafs — and so much for laying low. “I’ll never forget the time (the Frat Pack) were out one afternoon and these kids — like 15- and 16-year-olds — recognized us. We hadn’t even worn a Leafs jersey yet. I heard them talking to their friends like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s Bozak. He had 34 points in 41 games for Denver last year. I think he’ll be a good centre, but he needs to work on his shot.’ “That kid was right. But what he and I didn’t know was that the better I got at passing, the more success I was going to find. Because when I got called up for good in January 2010, I got put on a line with the best shooter in the league.” Bozak can still picture Ron Wilson’s writing on the whiteboard from Jan, 12, 2010, a home game against Carolina, a line with Nikolai Kulemin on the left side and Phil Kessel on the right. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “When in doubt, pass to Phil,” was what Bozak learned that night, as he got an assist. He would come to know the enigmatic Kessel far better than most. “He’s a quiet guy. You probably know that, but it’s why we got along so well, I think. We’re different. I’m a bit more outgoing, I like to crack jokes, and he’s a bit more reserved. Phil and I had the same interests. A lot of nights you’d find us on the couch, watching a game with Stella (a Golden-Doodle, the light of Phil’s life). “Some nights I’d be in another room in our place and I’d hear Phil’s voice – ‘No, no, I just didn’t play well tonight. Yeah, I dunno really … ‘ “I’d walk into the room, and he’d be in mid-conversation with Stella. “I understood why. Sometimes I did the same thing — Stella was a good listener and a big hockey fan.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Bozak and Stella wound up on the coach watching the agonizing finish to Game 7 of the 2013 playoff series in Boston. Bozak was hurt, Phil and the Leafs had a 4-1 lead at TD Garden.<doc-sep>
David Perron always seems to find his way back to St. Louis. After spending the 2017-18 season as a member of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, Perron is returning to the Blues for a third stint after signing a four-year, $16 million contract with the team in free agency on Sunday. [ProHockeyTalk’s NHL Free Agency Tracker] The decision to return comes just one year after the Blues left Perron exposed in the expansion draft — after protecting the likes of Ryan Reaves and Vladimir Sobotka ahead of him — and allowed him to be taken by the Golden Knights. During his one year with the expansion team Perron tallied 66 points in 70 games and was one of their most productive forwards during the regular season. That production dried up in the playoffs and resulted in him being a healthy scratch at one point during the Stanley Cup Final. Still, given how much the Blues struggled to score goals last season (24th in the NHL) they could have certainly used Perron during the regular season, and the decision to leave him exposed in the expansion draft was one of the many decisions across the league that helped Vegas build a contender in year one. Originally drafted by the Blues in the first round of the 2007 NHL draft, Perron spent the first six years of his career with the team before being traded to Edmonton prior to the 2013-14 season. From there he has bounced around between the Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, back to the Blues, Vegas, and now back to the Blues again. Along with the return of Perron, the Blues also attempted to bolster their center depth with the signing of Tyler Bozak to a three-year, $15 million contract. Prior to joining the Blues Bozak had spent his entire career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Bozak you know what you’re going to get offensively: He is going to score around 15 goals, finish with around 45-50 points, and generally score like a second-or third-line center. That is pretty much what he has always been. Over the past three years the rest of his game seemed to take a step forward and resulted in him posting some improved underlying numbers, especially when it came to his possession numbers. The Blues had a hole at center after trading Paul Stastny to the Winnipeg Jets at the trade deadline. Bozak isn’t as good as Stastny and Perron probably shouldn’t be expected to duplicate his numbers from this past season, but the Blues were pretty desperate for offense and attempted to address it here. — Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.