Alexander Steen is enjoying one of the best seasons of his NHL career. He's currently on pace to set new personal records for goals and points and has been the team's best offensive weapon so far in 2013-14. Steen's success comes in the final year of his current four-year, $13.45 million contract.
The Blues have made it known that they want to keep Steen in St. Louis, but Steen's agent has stated that they do not want to negotiate a new contract with the Blues during the regular season.
As seen in a report from The Fourth Period, Steen's agent has mentioned that Steen doesn't want to negotiate during the season and the St. Louis Blues are respecting his wishes.
Waiting to negotiate until after the season is over is probably the best option for both parties. Contract negotiations can easily distract a player and that's probably the last thing the Blues want considering Steen has been the heart and soul of the team's offense. For Steen, waiting means he can potentially negotiate a larger contract since time will be more of a factor and he could potentially leverage his value based on what's available on the open market. Steen may also be able to command more money if he's able to maintain his current production through the end of the season.
Steen, 29, currently carries a cap hit of $3,362,500 a season. Of all the St. Louis forwards, Steen's contract is the fifth largest. He trails David Backes ($4.5 million), T.J. Oshie ($4.175), Chris Stewart ($4.15) and Derek Roy ($4 million).
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