The Magnus Paajarvi experiment appeared to be one the Blues were ready to walk away from after passing the forward through waivers and down to the AHL during the course of the 2014-15 season. Paajarvi was extremely ineffective during his time in the NHL this year (one assist in 10 games) and his demotion to the Chicago Wolves looked like the end of his time in a Blues uniform.
Not so fast. GM Doug Armstrong recently made a few statements which indicate the Blues may be willing to give Paajarvi another look following a solid run with the Wolves.
For Paajarvi fans, Armstrong (1/2): "Paajarvi's probably a player that was off the radar screen that's worked his way back on." #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) April 29, 2015
What warranted another look? Paajarvi played well in Chicago, scoring 11 times while adding 18 assists (total of 29 points) over the course of 36 regular season games. Assists like this one and goals like the one below probably help quite a bit in grabbing Armstrong’s attention.
Rattie might want to tackle a different challenge if the opportunity presents itself.
Armstrong on Paajarvi (2/2): "That might be harder; he might not want to come back." Armstrong mentioned Paajarvi might want to go overseas.
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) April 29, 2015
However, Paajarvi is a restricted free agent so the Blues will have an opportunity (if they so desire) to further evaluate him in training camp before making a decision.
But in saying that, Paajarvi is a RFA. #stlblues have his rights so his play in Chicago may warranted another look in camp in September.
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) April 29, 2015
There’s no denying Paajarvi’s play in the AHL has been pretty impressive, but at the same time his play in the NHL has been extremely disappointing. In 65 games with the Blues, Paajarvi has six goals and seven assists. That’s pretty ugly. Granted, he was often used in roles where offense was difficult to come by (fourth line), but he definitely didn’t make an impact with his speed. Chris Porter was a significant upgrade in the lineup and that says a lot.
There’s no harm in giving Paajarvi another look, but for now it’s pretty tough to envision a spot for him on the Blues in 2015-16. It’d be a shame for the Blues to pass on the biggest piece received from the David Perron trade after witnessing him post some decent skills in the AHL, but it’s doubtful the Blues will even have a bench spot for Paajarvi.
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