The Blues have signed right-shot defenseman Matthew Kessel to a two-year, one-way contract extension worth $1.6MM ($800K AAV/cap hit), GM Doug Armstrong announced Wednesday.
Kessel, 23, was in the final season of his entry-level contract and was set to be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer. It’s a significant raise for the young blue-liner, whose cap hit decreased from $884K but will earn more in actual cash after spending most of his ELC in the minors, where he earned $80K per season.
A fifth-round pick of St. Louis in 2020, Kessel was recalled earlier this week and re-entered the lineup for the first time since late February on Monday against the Bruins. He’s played in a career-high 23 games for the Blues this year after only dressing twice in 2022-23, posting three assists and 8 PIMs with a -2 rating. When in the lineup, he’s spent most of his time in a top-four role alongside Torey Krug, filling in for Justin Faulk while he was out with a lower-body injury for most of January and February.
His even-strength possession results have been poor, posting a 42.9 CF% (-1.6% worse than the team’s overall CF% without him) and a 40.6 xGF%. The 6-foot-3, 203-lb defender has been a strong shutdown force in the minors, where he has seven goals, 43 points and a +9 rating since logging his first professional action with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Kessel’s extension walks him to restricted free agency in 2026, and he’ll maintain arbitration rights. He’s currently waivers-exempt, but that will expire after he plays 45 more NHL games (a total of 70).
The Phoenix native becomes the sixth St. Louis defender signed to a one-way deal next season, joining Justin Faulk ($6.5MM), Torey Krug ($6.5MM), Nick Leddy ($4MM), Colton Parayko ($6.5MM), and Tyler Tucker ($800K). The Blues have two pending free agent defenders on the active roster, Scott Perunovich (RFA with arbitration rights) and Marco Scandella (UFA).