Blues fans can expect a deal to be reached with veteran forward Keith Tkachuk in a matter of days. The Blues sent the All-Star winger an offer this past Tuesday. Tkachuk has since responded and is waiting to hear back from GM Larry Pleau. This is good news for those Blues fans who were hoping to have the power forward back in a Blues sweater next season. The two sides are working on a 1 year deal likely in the $ 2 million range.
Anybody see a recent report that ran in the Toronto Star quoting a Financial Planner who claims to have conducted a study to determine each NHL teams’ market viability?
The Toronto based Financial CEO says he used five years’ worth of Data to tell us the keys for an NHL club’s survival are location and gate revenue.
Hardly breaking news here but as I continued to read the story a quote caught my attention for obvious reasons.
“When I look at the numbers, I think it’s just a matter of time before you hear the St. Louis Blues being one of the financial problems in the NHL.”
I decided to contact CEO Ted Rechtschaffen to hear what kind of information he had to back up his conclusion and I must say I was pretty surprised in the lack of confidence in his findings.
When I asked Rehtschaffen to expand on his claim in regards to the Blues he responded by saying “Well I don’t know for a fact how much trouble they’re in. I haven’t seen their books”.
Rechtschaffen went on to explain that he didn’t mean to make St. Louis look bad and admits “There are weaknesses in the study”. He went on to also say his study is missing a lot of “important things” and that “Maybe I shouldn’t have said what I said, I don’t know all the facts about the St. Louis Blues which is owned by a private company”.
Why would the Canadian Press run with this story considering it was conducted by a Financial Planner, not even a Financial Analyst? I should add that Rechtschaffen personally sought out the press in what appears to be an effort to get his name out there and to create some publicity for both himself and his company. He certainly was effective in his pursuit to gain some publicity, but I’m not so sure this is the type of exposure he was seeking.
Considering the fact the Blues are among the lowest in the league when it comes to ticket prices it is safe to say they probably do not generate as much gate revenue as other clubs who charge way more for the price of admission. Believe me, the days of being able to buy a $10.00 ticket to a Blues game is coming to an end.
The Blues have no choice but to raise ticket prices if this club is going to be able to generate enough revenue to put a team on the ice that will contend in the NHL. Who knows what the future holds if this organization doesn’t receive more financial support from corporations and businesses in St. Louis.
With this being said, Blues Ownership understands the better the team is the easier it will be to raise ticket prices and create more revenue.
My main issue with the Canadian Press report is that his findings did not include other streams of revenue such as corporate sponsorships, suite sales, FSN TV deal, and sponsorships sales, not to mention the club is on the upswing and has gained lots of momentum in the City.
Rink Rats!
Several league sources have told me over the last few days that they are feeling more and more confident that the Sedin twins will re-sign with the Canucks. The twins place the city they live in and the quality of life as a major factor in making a decision.
How relieved are the Canucks that Mats Sundin elected not to accept the original 2 year $20 million offer from Vancouver last summer? Even if Sundin signed the original offer but still elected to retire after this past season his cap hit would remain on the books because he signed his deal after he turned 35 years old. I would not expect Sundin to return to Vancouver.
This wasn’t the case for Marcus Naslund whose cap number comes off the books in New York because he signed his deal before turning 35.
Look for Vancouver to make a strong run at a Michael Cammalleri or Marian Hossa (if available) if they are unable to re-sign the Sedin’s.
Will Philadelphia make a run a Jay Bouwmeester? Expect Florida to trade his negotiating rights to someone. They can’t afford to lose this guy for nothing.
The Boston Bruins are currently negotiating an extension with RFA Byron Bitz.
Many around the NHL (from a NHLPA perspective) believe the Islanders Frans Nielsen and the Kings Dustin Brown have the worst contracts in the NHL. Can you believe Brown is signed through 2014 at $3.175!!! You talk about a bargain for the Kings. Nielsen has several years remaining in a deal paying him $525,000 per season.
The winner of tonight’s Jack Adams award could very well come down to the Canadian vote. Claude Julien might have the edge here over Andy Murray. This doesn’t mean he’s more deserving.
How bad is Montreal in pursuit of a French superstar? I’ve even heard the name Danny Briere although I’m not really buying that one. Of course they have interest in Vinny.
Montreal has had recent talks with Mike Komisarek.
Word is Boston isn’t looking to give Phil Kessel an offer even matching the $3.75 they gave teammate David Krejci. This likely means Kessel will be moved.
Scott Niedermayer has yet to notify Anaheim of his plans to play next season.
Expect Rob Niedermayer to shop himself this summer considering they traded both of his linemates near the trading deadline.
We will likely hear some news one way or another regarding Blackhawks sniper Martin Havlat in a matter of days.
Blues Blues!
Keith Tkachuk could sign a 1 yr. deal with the Blues any moment. I would doubt the Blues would overshadow Andy Murray’s day.
The club has had recent talks with B.J. Crombeen's whose goal s to get a deal done sooner than later but he does have arbitration rights to lean on if necessary. Expect Crombeen to get a deal similar to Devils forward David Clarkson ($837,500),Islanders forward Sean Bergenheim ($862,500), or Nashville's Jordon Tootoo ($975,000).
Guys like a Crombeen are in demand around the NHL. Teams are always looking for valuable utility guys who come in at a small number but can be effective in many different areas.
Negotiations with Roman Polak remain in the infancy stages. Could a guy like Polak who eats minutes be a target of an offer sheet?
The Blues are looking to re-sign Brad Winchester and have had recent discussions. Winchester could probably get a better offer in the open market but is wisely showing some loyalty to the Blues.
There has been very little talk between the Blues and D-man Mike Weaver.
Blues prospect Ian Schultz had his recent contract rejected because it was registered between June 1st and July 1st. No contracts can be registered during this time period. This is really no biggie as Schultz will be signed once July hits.
WHL player of the year Brett Sonne will be attending the Blues development camp in Early July.
Look for the Blues to take a run at Detroit goaltender Ty Conklin.
Tune into Blues Buzz tonight between 7-8 on 590 the fan. My guests will include NHL Director of Central Scouting E.J. McGuire, Jarmo Kekalainen, and Andy Murray.
Getting off subject for a second,
It will be very interesting if Dave Checketts is able to pull things off and put a deal together to buy the St. Louis Rams. Checketts has proven to be a people person first and will almost certainly tear down the walls inside Rams park that have been put up since the current regime took over. How can a team who has won 5 games over the last two years not embrace the media who actually want to cover this team? Checketts buying the Rams could very well be the worst nightmare for the people in charge over at Rams park!
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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