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

By Griffin Youngs

BUFFALO, NY - FEBRUARY 3: Ryan O'Reilly #90 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during an NHL game against the St. Louis Blues on February 3, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - FEBRUARY 3: Ryan O'Reilly #90 of the Buffalo Sabres skates during an NHL game against the St. Louis Blues on February 3, 2018 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Chad Johnson replaces Carter Hutton
Chad Johnson replaces Carter Hutton /

The Blues have had a hole at goalie for a while now, and the emergence of Carter Hutton last year while Jake Allen struggled was a blessing that almost snuck them into the postseason. Now Hutton is gone and all the Blues have is Jake Allen and the unproven young goalie Ville Husso. To solve the issue, the Blues signed goalie Chad Johnson to a one year, $1,750,000 contract to back up Jake Allen.

This will be Johnson’s third team in three years, playing with the Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres beforehand, but that’s not because he’s been bad but rather because he’s replaceable. He’ll be looking for a bounce back season after a nightmare season on the dreadful Buffalo Sabres last season.

On the league worst Buffalo Sabres last season, Johnson with the worst stats of his seven year NHL career, posting an .891 save percentage and 3.55 goals against average on the way to a 10-17-3 record, but those numbers certainly weren’t helped by the Sabres abysmal defense. I’d expect better number from Johnson as a member of the Blues, but nothing groundbreaking.

What the Blues needed at goalie was a guy who can step in for Jake Allen when he starts to struggles. Allen is a prime example of a hot and cold goalie, but you need somebody reliable to step in when he’s off. Johnson can step in for a few games at a time, but he’s not the answer to the Blues woes in net. It’s clear what they were going for, but they missed out on some better options on the market.

Johnson is a solid option at backup, but the Blues need a guy they can reasonably rely on when Allen struggles. Johnson is not that guy. This signing seems to be more about making sure Ville Husso has more time to develop, and can step in if need be. The Blues didn’t really solve their goaltending problem, they’re just hoping if anything that Allen will have a better season and they won’t need to rely on Johnson like they did for Hutton, because it will not work.

Grade: C-

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