The Blues have given Carl Gunnarsson a three-year, $8.7 million extension which will keep the defenseman with the team through the 2018-19 season. Gunnarsson’s extension comes at an average cap hit of $2.9 million, which is actually a discount compared to his current $3.15 million cap hit.
The announcement of his new extension came at an odd time (Friday night just before the team’s game against Anaheim) and it will inevitably lead fans to ask what’s happening with other pressing contracts on the Blues such as David Backes. At the very least, Gunnarsson’s new deal shouldn’t rub even the biggest detractors the wrong way as it comes at a fair price.
Gunnarsson started the year in an ugly way. Mistakes piled up and Blues fans rightfully grew more vocal with their criticism. As the season wore on, the mistakes became fewer and far between and the criticism died down. While he’s far from being the best defenseman on the team (that’d be a tall order with the likes of who is on the roster), he’s a reliable option.
Time will tell how effective this extension will be, but the price seems more than fair for the 29-year-old blueliner.
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