The Blues signed defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph to a one-year contract worth $950,000, the team announced on Wednesday morning. He is the younger brother of Mathieu Joseph, who the Blues traded for on Tuesday.
Pierre-Olivier played 52 games last season with the Penguins and would have been a restricted free agent this week, but he was not issued a qualifying offer and became an unrestricted free agent.
“Big, lanky player, kills plays, good skater,†Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “(The defense,) that’s a work in progress. If we come back with the same group, it’s the same group. With our right side being pretty well-connected with (Colton) Parayko, (Justin) Faulk and (Matthew) Kessel what we saw last year, we were focusing on the left side. If you look at the left-shot D that have signed, it wasn’t a huge market in that area.â€
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Joseph should serve as a depth option that can push Tyler Tucker for playing time in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. Joseph is not waivers exempt, meaning he must be waived in order to be sent to the AHL.
The Joseph brothers have not been on the same team in the NHL before, but now will be in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
“We started negotiating with P.O. a little earlier, so it was nice to make that second call and get the gang together,†Armstrong said.
That decision came down Tuesday, when Buchnevich signed a six-year extension worth $8 million annually that will keep him in ºüÀêÊÓƵ through the 2030-31 season.
Post-Dispatch Blues beat reporter Matthew DeFranks joined columnist Jeff Gordon to discuss all the Blues news from the last several days.
Fans crave sizzle, but the Blues stayed sensible at this midpoint in their retooling.