In a span of a few hours, brothers Mathieu and Pierre-Olivier Joseph are reunited. P.O. Joseph has signed a contract to join the St. Louis Blues on a one-year deal worth $950,000.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph 1 x $950K St. Louis
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 2, 2024
Blues Bring In Joseph Brothers
The Blues traded for Mathieu Joseph earlier in the day. Mathieu Joseph will take a role on the Blues third or fourth line, possibly as a centre. P.O., meanwhile, joins the team as a left-handed defenceman option.
P.O.’s Role With The Blues
P.O. has only played in 147 NHL games, all with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The defenceman has played in 75 or more games in a season just once.
Signing P.O. Joseph to this contract likely provides the Blues with a depth option. He will join a defensive core that includes Torey Krug, Justin Faulk, Nick Leddy, Colton Parayko, and Phil Kessel. Tyler Tucker and Scott Perunovich are expected to get playing time as well.
P.O will likely spend time on the third defensive pairing. The Blues current defensive pairing options are as follows:
Krug-Faulk
Leddy-Parayko
TBD-Kessel
P.O., Tucker, and Perunovich will likely split time on the third pairing. The Blues could be looking to move a defenceman, such as Torey Krug. Doing so would open more playing time for P.O., Tucker, and Perunovich.
Does the P.O. Joseph Contract Suggest Something Else Is In The Works?
Tucker and Perunovich got an extended amount of playing time last season. Furthermore, Perunovich signed a one-way contract earlier in the off-season. Typically, players who sign one-way contracts remain with the NHL club. Conversely, Perunovich could stay with the Blues and just not play every game. However, for the development of Perunovich and Tucker, this would seem counter-productive to their development.
If the Blues moved a defenceman with a large contract, that would open up more playing time for P.O., Perunovich, and Tucker.
It is hard to tell where General Manager Doug Armstrong is going from here. Signing P.O. could be a move for depth, or it could mean something else is in the works. As the Blues are in a retool, it would seem logical to assume most options are on the table for Armstrong.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
