By playing against the Sharks on Saturday night, Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich guaranteed that he will be a restricted free agent in the summer.
Saturday’s game was Perunovich’s 74th in the NHL — regular season and playoffs combined — ensuring that he would not become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent in the offseason. Group 6 UFAs are players who are 25 or older, have completed at least three professional seasons and have not played in a certain number of NHL games.
Typically, that number is 80 games for skaters, but that number was reduced for a player such as Perunovich to account for the 56-game COVID-shortened season, as before the 2020-21 season.
Because Perunovich will become a restricted free agent when his contract expires this summer, the Blues will retain his rights. If he became a UFA, Perunovich would have been able to sign with any NHL team.
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In 48 games this season, Perunovich has 15 assists, including six on the power play. He’s averaged 14:33 of ice time per game while hopping in and out of the Blues’ power-play units. He is looking for his first NHL goal.
With Perunovich on the ice at five on five, the Blues control a greater percentage of shot attempts and shots than with any other of their defenseman.
The 5-foot-10 blueliner was a second-round draft pick in 2018 after his freshman season at Minnesota-Duluth. Perunovich spent two more seasons in college, winning the Hobey Baker Award as a junior when he had six goals and 34 assists in 34 games played.
This season was Perunovich’s first full one in the NHL as he made the roster out of training camp, but was a healthy scratch in nine of the first 11 games of the season. He missed seven games in January and February because of a lower-body injury and has played most recently on a pair with Justin Faulk.
The last Blues player to become a Group 6 UFA was Dakota Joshua, who played 43 total games for the Blues before he signed with Vancouver in 2022.
Supporting his Spartans
When Michigan State played it the NCAA regional this weekend at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Spartans fans might have seen a familiar face: Torey Krug.
He was in attendance for Michigan State’s comeback overtime win over Western Michigan on Friday night and said it was his first time at a MSU game since he left college following the 2011-12 season.
“I thought it was sweet,†Krug said. “It was fun, nostalgic being back and watching them.â€
Krug has had one of the most successful NHL careers of any Michigan State players, and his 480 career points are second all time among former Spartans — trailing just Duncan Keith (646). His 774 NHL games are 10th-most among Michigan State players.
Krug is one of four Michigan State players who have played in the NHL this season, joining Detroit’s Jeff Petry, Winnipeg’s Mason Appleton and Blues forward Mackenzie MacEachern. MacEachern, whose season was cut short by shoulder surgery, also was in attendance in Maryland Heights over the weekend.
The Blues hockey operations department made sure the regional was well-attended, as general manager Doug Armstrong, director of amateur scouting Tony Feltrin and director of recruitment Keith Tkachuk were among a group of Blues management at the rink.
Not enough
With 81 shot attempts on Saturday night — 35 shots on goal, 22 shots blocked and 24 missed shots — the Blues registered their most shot attempts in more than six years. On March 15, 2018, the Blues had 82 shot attempts in a 4-1 loss to Colorado.
In the third period alone as they chased a three-goal deficit, the Blues had 38 shot attempts to San Jose’s eight. There have been two games this season that ºüÀêÊÓƵ has not reached 38 shot attempts across the entire 60 minutes.
According to Natural Stat Trick, at five on five, the Blues had their best shares of shot attempts (73.08%), shots on goal (71.11%), scoring chances (72%), high-danger chances (80%) and expected goals (72.53%) of the season against the Sharks, although much of their offensive generation came when the game was out of reach in the third period.