The St. Louis Blues have extended a key piece of their centre depth, as Connor McMichael signs a six-year extension with the team, worth $6.75 million per season. McMichael was an important player that the Blues got when they traded Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals before the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
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Connor McMichael avoids arbitration and signs a six-year contract with the Blues.
DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/Z8OFCkZ9CE https://t.co/Z8OFCkZ9CE
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 16, 2026
McMichael Signs With Blues, Avoids Arbitration
McMichael was scheduled for a July 25th arbitration hearing, as he was one of 15 restricted free agents who had filed for arbitration, which would protect them from any offer sheets. The Blues avoided this hearing, which would limit them to signing McMichael to a maximum of two years.
McMichael is a 25-year-old, versatile two-way centre with high hockey IQ. He scored 14 goals and 32 assists for 46 points in 78 games last season with the Washington Capitals. For the Blues, he is a good addition to their core down the middle, which felt thin going into this offseason. He will likely slot in on the second line and also play key minutes on the penalty kill.
As for the details of his contract, he will carry an annual cap hit of $6.75 million through the 2031-32 season. According to PuckPedia, the final four years of his contract will also include a three-team no-trade list. He was previously signed to a two-year deal worth $2.1 million per season. This is a hefty raise, which is to be expected for a player of his calibre, as well as his age and potential upside.
The #stlblues signed recently acquired 25 y/o RFA F McMichael to 6 year $6.75M cap hit deal.
Year 1 $7.5M salary
Years 2-5 $6.75M salary
Year 6 $6M salaryYears 3-6 include 3 team no trade clause.
Deal covers 4 UFA seasons.
Rep’d by Dave Gagner @the_team_hockey…
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 16, 2026
Who Remains on the Arbitration Hearing Schedule?
Eight of the 15 players who filed for arbitration have been signed with their respective clubs, leaving seven remaining. Notable names include Jamie Drysdale (hearing on July 20th) and Jason Robertson (hearing on July 25th). All of the potential hearings will be done by August 1st, which means that we could still be in for more moves in the coming couple of weeks as the offseason continues.
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