{"id":7543,"date":"2017-03-09T19:18:12","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T00:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=7543"},"modified":"2017-03-09T20:27:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T01:27:11","slug":"7543","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/03\/09\/7543\/","title":{"rendered":"An Update on the St. Louis Blues and Vladimir Sobotka"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vladimir Sobotka<\/a><\/strong> is a name that many Blues fans have heard a lot of since the end of last season, but not a face they\u2019ve seen since the end of the 2013-14 season. \u2018Vladdy\u2019 left the Blues because they couldn\u2019t come to an agreement on a salary, and headed East for the KHL. Before he left, he was granted a one-way contract by the league\u2019s arbitration. Since he never served that year, he still owes the Blues one before he can become an unrestricted free agent in the NHL again.<\/p>\n

An Update on the St. Louis Blues and Vladimir Sobotka<\/h2>\n

Now that Sobotka has spent three seasons in Russia, he is showing signs of wanting to come back. That news is very exciting for most Blues fans, who have fond memories of the gritty, 5\u201910\u201d forward who was very exciting to watch when he piggy-backed the team\u2019s bottom six.<\/p>\n

Sobotka played in 247 games as a Blue before he left for the KHL. He saw an average of around 16 minutes of ice time through four seasons, jumping between the second and third line. In those games, Sobotka\u2019s grit and hard work got him a total of 101 points, with only 29 being goals. This was something that the Blues loved about Sobotka. Not only was he a hard worker and a physical forward, but he provided a lot of help for what was then a not-so-skilled bottom six.<\/p>\n

If he comes back, the Blues will want that to be something he can bring to the table again. He would most likely be placed on the left wing beside Patrik Berglund<\/a><\/strong> and one of the many Blues wingers who switch out games; depending on how players like Ivan Barbashev<\/a><\/strong>, Kenny Agostino<\/a><\/strong>, and Ty Rattie<\/a><\/strong> progress through the off-season. No matter who he\u2019s by, Sobotka will be assigned the same task, and that\u2019s to produce assists and be a dominant, physical force for that line. Judging by his KHL numbers, he’ll do this with ease. In three seasons in Russia Sobotka has produced a total of 65 assists and 102 points overall. If he can bring the same level of play back to the NHL, he could become a staple for the Blues bottom six, which is something they have been looking for since he left for Russia.<\/p>\n

A lot of Blues fans were excited to see rumors circulating about Sobotka possibly returning this off-season, but that obviously didn\u2019t happen. It was reportedly due to the Russian team he signed with, Avangard Omsk, removed the \u2018out\u2019 clause from his contract. The only way for him to get out of his contract would be to personally pay the club two-thirds of his contract, which would be paying $2.68 million. Per the NHL collective-bargaining agreement, the Blues can\u2019t get financially involved in the contract.<\/p>\n

The club was hoping that Sobotka would decide to buy himself out and return to the NHL, but those hopes died quickly too. At the trade deadline, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong<\/strong> received a lot of questions regarding Sobotka. So much so, that Armstrong eventually said he was done talking about Sobotka, and is waiting to see what happens.<\/p>\n

Recent Talk<\/h3>\n

However, rumors that Sobotka is coming back to the NHL have begun circulating again. These rumors are starting earlier than they have in earlier years. His KHL contract ends at the end of this season, which is why the rumors have begun so soon.<\/p>\n

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BTW, regardless of being in KHL, Sobotka (STL) and Valeri Nichushkin (DAL) need to be protected or exposed in NHL expansion draft in June.<\/p>\n

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 28, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n