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ZHL GENERAL MANAGER: |
Jason Rosenthal |
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The Blues jumped into the free agent market early, signing RW Dallas Drake and D Sean Hill to four-year contracts worth a reported $9 million. Drake, 31, came over from Phoenix via the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets. He had 15 goals and established career highs last season with 30 assists and 45 points in 79 games. "He'll contribute offensively and on special teams, and he's very responsible in his own end of the ice, and he always goes the extra mile for his team," GM Larry Pleau said. Hill, 30, will add much-needed depth on the blue line. With Carolina last season, he had career bests with 13 goals and 31 assists despite missing 20 games. "Sean has always been steady and reliable defensively, and his offensive game truly came together for him last season," said Pleau. On the same day, St. Louis re-signed C Mike Eastwood and LW Tyson Nash while picking up the option on D Marc Bergevin. ... The Blues came away with a lot of hardware at the NHL award ceremonies on June 15. D Chris Pronger became the first player since Bobby Orr in 1971-72 to win the Norris and Hart trophies. Joel Quenneville took the Adams Award as coach of the year and LW Pavol Demitra captured the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship. ... The Blues used the last pick in the first round of the NHL draft on C Jeff Taffe, who struggled offensively as a freshman at the University of Minnesota. ... St. Louis lost G Jamie McLennan and LW Scott Pellerin to the Minnesota Wild in the expansion draft. |
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St. Louis Blues