SEATTLE — It's official. One of the longest-tenured Blues is on his way to a new city.
The Seattle Kraken announced on Wednesday the team had signed forward Jaden Schwartz to a 5-year deal that will pay him $5.5 million a year.
The Schwartz to Seattle deal had been rumored before the official signing, and is one of the Kraken's biggest splashes on their inaugural roster.
The Kraken also made some more big news on the first day of NHL free agency by signing former Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer to a 6-year contract with $5.9 million annually.
The Blues drafted Schwartz with the 14th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft out of Colorado College.
In 10 years in St. Louis, Schwartz scored 154 goals and tallied 231 assists in 560 games. Schwartz also scored 24 goals and notched 26 assists in 82 career playoff games for St. Louis. He was one of the team's most lethal scorers during their run to the 2019 Stanley Cup, scoring 12 goals in 26 games, eclipsing his entire goal total during that regular season.
It could continue to be an offseason of change for the Blues, who already lost defenseman Vince Dunn to the Kraken in the expansion draft and traded forward Sammy Blais to the New York Rangers for forward Pavel Buchnevich. Oft-injured star forward Vladimir Tarasenko also requested a trade during the offseason.