The St. Louis Blues announced on Monday morning that they have re-signed restricted free agent forward Nikita Alexandrov to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2024-25 season.
At 24 years old, Nikita Alexandrov had been attending Blues training camp on a tryout basis while awaiting a new contract, which finally materialized as the new week began. The Blues still have three exhibition games left before their season opener against the Seattle Kraken on October 8.
Originally selected in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, the Burgwedel, Germany native played 23 games with the Blues in the 2023-24 season, registering two points, both assists.
With this signing, Alexandrov was one of only two restricted free agents remaining in the NHL without a contract prior to the 2024-25 season; the other is Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, whose contract negotiations have been notably contentious.
After a successful junior career with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders, Alexandrov spent the COVID-affected 2020-21 season splitting time between Finland and the AHL before fully transitioning to North America. In the 2022-23 season, he played 28 NHL games for the Blues, scoring three goals and totaling seven points.
According to the Blues, Alexandrov’s new contract will have a $775,000 cap hit for the 2024-25 season, with a salary of $150,000 for any time spent in the AHL. Additionally, he is no longer exempt from waivers and will need to clear them to be assigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
The Blues have been active this offseason in revamping their forward lineup, adding players like Dylan Holloway, Radek Faksa, Mathieu Joseph, and Alexandre Texier to complement Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich. Alexandrov will now need to compete against Kasperi Kapanen, Oskar Sundqvist, Nikita Toropchenko, and Nathan Walker for a spot on the roster.