Blues sign Bouwmeester to one-year contract extension

ST. LOUIS - Jay Bouwmeester will be back with the Blues for another season.
The 35-year-old defenseman signed a one-year contract extension on Monday worth $3.25 million.

"It was good to get it done and out of the way," Bouwmeester said after Monday's practice at the Ice Zone at St. Louis Outlet Mall. "I'm happy, I like it here and I've never shied away from that. It's a good place for family and all that, and we have a good team. I'm lucky and I'm happy."
"We started to talk at the end of the February a little bit, and I wasn't sure whether he wanted to play," Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong said. "I asked him to take some time to confirm that his body was still up to it - he's played a long time. He came back and said he'd like to play. We started to work towards it... we're happy."
Bouwmeester appeared in 78 regular-season games in 2018-19, posting 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) and 40 penalty minutes. The 16-year NHL veteran has played with the Florida Panthers, Calgary Flames and now the Blues, and has collected 415 points (87 goals, 328 assists) and 615 penalty minutes in 1,184 career regular-season games. Among active defensemen, he ranks second in games played and 17th in points.

Bouwmeester is currently in his seventh season with the Blues after being acquired via trade from Calgary on April 1, 2013. He has dressed in 434 regular-season games with the club, recording 115 points (16 goals, 99 assists), 152 penalty minutes and a plus-42 rating. Among defensemen in franchise history, Bouwmeester ranks 10th in games played, 15th in points and ninth in plus/minus.
In March,
Bouwmeester was nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy
, given annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
"This guy is an unbelievable worker," Blues Head Coach Craig Berube said. "We talk about Ryan O'Reilly as a worker, but this guy is right there with him. In the gym, doing all the things he needed to do. That hip injury - other players that had that injury, that takes a year sometimes to get back to your game. He's done it in a pretty quick turnaround I think… You have to be patient, especially with a guy like that that's played that long with the character he has. It's worked out so far, he's come around, he's been a real good player for us.
"We're lucky to have him."