St. Louis Blues re-sign forward Nikita Alexandrov to one-year contract
The St. Louis Blues have re-signed restricted free agent forward Nikita Alexandrov to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2024-25 season, the club announced Monday morning.
Alexandrov, 24, had been attending Blues training camp on a tryout basis while waiting for a new deal, which finally came on Monday to kick off the new week. The Blues have three exhibition games remaining before their season opener against the Seattle Kraken on October 8.
The Blues originally selected Alexandrov in the second round (No. 62 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The Burgwedel, Germany product appeared in 23 games with the Blues during the 2023-24 season, collecting two points (both assists).
The Blues have signed Nikita Alexandrov to a one-year, two-way contract. #stlblues
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Alexandrov had been one of only two RFAs around the NHL still waiting for a new contract ahead of the 2024-25 season. The other is Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, whose negotiations with management have been far more contentious and public than anyone expected.
After a strong junior career with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders, Alexandrov split the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season between Finland and the AHL before making the jump to North America on a full-time basis. The 6’1″, 177-pound forward skated in his first 28 NHL games with the Blues in the 2022-23 season, racking up three goals and seven points.
According to the Blues, Alexandrov’s new contract carries a $775,000 NHL cap hit for the 2024-25 season and will see him paid a $150,000 salary for the time he spends in the AHL. Additionally, Alexandrov is no longer exempt from waivers and will have to pass through them to be assigned to the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.
The Blues spent the 2024 NHL offseason drastically reshaping their forward group, bringing in Dylan Holloway, Radek Faksa, Mathieu Joseph, and Alexandre Texier to supplement Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich. Alexandrov will also have to beat out the likes of Kasperi Kapanen, Oskar Sundqvist, Nikita Toropchenko, and Nathan Walker to secure a spot on this Blues roster.