Steen signs 4-year extension

ST. LOUIS - Alexander Steen will be a member of the St. Louis Blues for the forseeable future.
Steen signed a four-year contract extension worth $23 million on Friday, the first day of training camp. The 32-year-old forward, who had one year remaining on his current three-year deal, is now signed with the Blues through the 2020-21 season.
This marks the second time Steen could have elected to test the market as an unrestricted free agent, but instead chose to sign an extension to remain a Blue.
"It would have been extremely tough to leave here, but now I don't have to worry about that," Steen said Friday. "I don't think I could have seen myself throwing another (jersey) over my shoulders right now. It takes some time to grow attached like this, and for me, it's nothing that I take lightly and I'm extremely happy to be here."
"St. Louis has become home. I've been here eight years," Steen added. "I've gotten to know a lot of people within hockey and outside hockey here. We seem to be spending less and less time in Sweden to make sure we get our time in here as well. It's been an incredible journey and St. Louis is definitely somewhere I see as home now."

Steen played in 67 games for St. Louis last season, scoring 17 goals and 35 assists (52 points). During the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Steen led the Blues to their first trip to the Western Conference Final in 15 years, posting 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 20 appearances.

"It's a great day for the St. Louis Blues and our organization," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "Alexander has been a big part of our franchise since he's arrived here. His desire to be part of something and build and hopefully win a championship here in St. Louis comes through in a situation like this. We all know free agency was an option for him, but he stepped up over the course of the summer and he made it clear he wanted to find a solution to stay in St. Louis. From our perspective, he was a player we certainly wanted to have.
"We're excited to have him on board, he's a big part of our leadership group now and into the future."
For his Blues career, Steen has appeared in 493 regular-season games and ranks 11th in club history with 355 points (147 goals, 208 assists). He is one of the NHL's most versatile two-way forwards, averaging over a minute-and-a-half of shorthanded ice time and two-and-a-half minutes of power-play ice time per game. He has recorded a +54 rating since joining the club.
In 746 career NHL games, the Winnipeg native has 197 goals, 284 assists (481 points) and a plus-46 rating.