Scottie Upshall is back in a familiar situation. With the St. Louis Blues electing to move on without Upshall, the 34-year-old forward has signed a professional tryout contract (PTO) with the Edmonton Oilers.
The #Oilers have signed Scottie Upshall to a PTO contract. The forward & Fort McMurray native has played 759 @NHL regular season games & has spent the last three years in St. Louis, tallying 7G, 12A over 63 games in 2017-18. pic.twitter.com/pUghELpyuy
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) August 19, 2018
If that scenario sounds familiar, it’s because a PTO was what led Upshall to the Blues back in 2015-16 and then back again prior to the 2017-18 season.
The tryouts worked out in the Blues’ favor both times, with Upshall skating in a combined 206 games for the Blues across the past three seasons. During that time, Upshall was a force on the lower lines, turning in a consistent effort each and every night. He tallied 23 total goals and 28 total assists in those 206 games. His offensive totals weren’t glamorous, but he was an outstanding fourth-line player during his time in St. Louis.
Now, Upshall’s time with the Blues again appears to be over. Of course, that’s what we all thought before last season too back when Upshall had a tryout with the Vancouver Canucks. Several injuries later, the Blues called Upshall back and the rest is history. This time seems to be a bit more permanent as the Blues appear to have a deeper roster now than they did prior to 2017-18.
As Upshall departs, his time with the Blues will likely be underappreciated. Few players were as consistent as Upshall. Few worked harder – or as hard – as he worked every game. He did so many of the little things right that often go overlooked over the course of a hockey game. While it was easy to point at players who weren’t moving their skates in critical games, Upshall was always moving, always driving to the puck and always trying to disrupt the other team. His presence on the lower lines will be missed.
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