NHL Free Agency: Grading the St. Louis Blues’ signings

The center depth was a big priority for the Blues to address this offseason, and to address it St. Louis signed former Toronto Maple Leafs center Tyler Bozak to a three-year, $15 million contract, for a $5 million annual cap hit.

The price their paying Bozak seems a bit steep for a guy won’t really go above a third-line center, but if you dig a bit deeper into Bozak’s career the overpayment isn’t that bad. Bozak has played his entire career with the Toronto Maple Leafs after signing as an undrafted free agent out of University of Denver, and he’s been as consistent as can be. Over the last four seasons, Bozak has averaged 0.62 points per game, and to find that production from a third-line center is great for depth scoring.

Last season Bozak played 81 games and recorded 11 goals and 32 assists for 43 total points as the Maple Leafs third line center. Good by most standards, but it’s a dip in production worth noting now that Bozak is 32 years old and past his prime. Still, Bozak can reasonably be expected to put up around 40 points this season while playing with guys like Robbi Fabbri and David Perron, as well as getting power play time.

Even if Bozak’s production dips, it won’t be a disaster for the Blues. Getting around 40 points from a third line center in a season is a massive success by most team’s standards. Bozak will once again be third line center to help take the load off the two elite centers in front of him, just like it was for him in Toronto.

If this was the only move to Blues made to address their center depth, the grade would be much lower considering the overpayment, but Bozak is a solid option at third line center. There isn’t much wrong with the move on paper for the Blues. However, Bozak will be 35 when the contract expires, and his production is sure to dip by then. All in all, the Blues’ center depth issue is solved for the time being and Bozak will be a solid piece of the puzzle.

Grade: B