Kariya Kills Playoff Aspirations, Signs With the Blues

The exodus from Nashville continued with Paul Kariya saying 'Sayonara' to the Country Music capital. His destination? The division 'rival' St. Louis Blues.

The Blues??? Big free agents want to sign with the Blues?

"We are excited to announce we have signed a world class hockey player as well as a first class person," said Davidson. "Paul gives us instant scoring up front as well as bringing an entertaining brand of hockey to the St. Louis Blues."

The terms of the deal are reported to be $6mil/season for three seasons. Given Kariya's productivity, and the insanity of the market, this isn't an awful price. Gomez, a player with similar production, is getting a million more per season with the Ranger$.

I'm just astonished that a big name free agent would actually want to sign with the Blues. The team is so far out of the playoff picture, and isn't nearly as much as a contender as a guy like Kariya would normally go to.

Yes, we saw guys like Weight and Tkachuk re-sign with the club, but they obviously had non-financial reasons for doing so.

Kariya? He saw nothing but money, and will have lots of time to golf every April.

Still, as a Blues fan myself, I like this signing. The club needs scoring in the worst way, especially when Tkachuk and Weight aren't on the ice. Kariya has great speed, and Andy Murray is the type that loves to utilize speed.