The St. Louis Blues have signed veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to a one-year contract extension worth $3.25 million. Bouwmeester, 35, a few months ago looked like his career might be finished. Bouwmeester had dealt with a hip injury in 2017-2018 and ended up needing season ending surgery. He started 2018-2019 slow, but he ended up playing some of his best hockey in a long time. That's because Bouwmeester was finally healthy. Hip injuries can be hard to comeback from.
Bouwmeester ended up playing 78 games, the most games in played since he played 81 in 2016-2017. He had 3 goals with 14 assists, and 17 points. That's best point total since 2015-2016 when he had 19 points. Bouwmeester has helped mentor teammate Colton Parayko.
Bouwmeester is also nominated for an award. He's nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is given to the player who "best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." One player from each team is nominated for the award and then given to the winner in June at the NHL Awards. That's after it's narrowed down to three finalists.
Overall, Bouwmeester has played 16 seasons in the NHL. He's played 1,184 games with 87 goals, 328 assists, 415 points, and is a -23. Since joining the Blues, Bouwmeester is a plus 42.
It's a good contract for both sides and it doesn't hurt the Blues at all. Bouwmeester earned it too. At times you reward your players for doing well. Bouwmeester also loves playing in St. Louis. You want guys who want to be here and help a team. Bouwmeester is one of those players. Even though he got lots of hate by fans, but the truth is he wasn't really healthy. Bouwmeester himself was upset about his play. It's nice to see Bouwmeester finally healthy. He can still play 21+ minutes a night. That's bargain at his new salary.
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