Blues open training camp without Jaden Schwartz
ST. LOUIS -- It's just about time to start getting worried about Blues forward Jaden Schwartz.
He officially became a holdout Friday afternoon, when St. Louis held the first practice of training camp without the 22-year-old left winger responsible for 25 goals and 31 assists last season. Only Alexander Steen, T.J. Oshie and David Backes contributed more points for the Blues.
Coach Ken Hitchcock says he won't be overly concerned about Schwartz's absence until the season opener, set for Oct. 9 against the defending Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers. Certainly, he has plenty of other things to worry about as St. Louis cuts a 59-man roster down to 23 over the next two weeks.
"I think the guys that you're more focused on are the knocking-on-the-door guys, the guys that are in the American League last year or new players like a (Peter) Mueller or a (Joakim) Lindstrom or these guys that are trying to make the hockey team," Hitchcock says. "That's the glances that I got, but man, it's hard to watch when you're running all those drills."
Part of that process includes trying out younger, skilled players such as Mueller and Robby Fabbri with the veterans to see how they fare. Hitchcock says he originally planned to try Schwartz with 21-year-old Dmitrij Jaskin, but those plans will have to wait.
General manager Doug Armstrong indicated Thursday the Blues aren't any closer to reaching a deal with Schwartz, a restricted free agent drafted 14th overall by St. Louis in 2010. The two sides seem to have agreed on a short-term bridge contract, but compensation remains a serious hurdle.
Obviously, the Blues recognize the value and immense potential of Schwartz, who has a real chance to become a star in this league. But a busy offseason trying to make this into a championship team right away has complicated matters.
"We're spending to the cap and we're paying the players," Armstrong says. "What the market dictates for unrestricted free agents is different than what the rights in the market dictates for restricted free agents and then the level of restrictions that you have as an athlete."
St. Louis currently sits less than $3 million below the cap, and it's always smart to leave a little bit of room to make adjustments in case things go poorly. Plus, several contracts are set to expire in 2015, most significantly for talented winger Vladimir Tarasenko.
In essence, the Blues are arguing Schwartz still needs another couple productive seasons to prove he's worth a massive contract, like the seven-year, $45.5 million deal Alex Pietrangelo got to end his holdout one day into last year's training camp. It's not an unreasonable expectation, considering Schwartz hasn't even played enough games to be eligible for an offer sheet.
The question now becomes how much damage Schwartz and the Blues are willing to do to one another in order to get their way. Sure, Hitchcock and his players can be believed when they say it's not a distraction or a concern to have Schwartz not in camp.
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"There's no point in worrying about the other stuff," Steen says. "We talk to him. He's a teammate and a really close friend to all of us, so of course we talk to him."
But Hitchcock says he plans to use the last three preseason games to build the team, and it's not like the Blues have a friendly October schedule. Schwartz's presence would be quite helpful, and it's tough to imagine he'd pick up where he left off by joining the team less than a week before the regular-season opener.
If that does happen, more of the blame would surely rest on the shoulders of Schwartz and his agent for dragging out a process that still feels like an inevitability. Then again, if Schwartz signs next week and delivers on his promise with another huge season, all of this will be much ado about nothing.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.