Blues Sign MacInnis For $15 Million

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

June 12, 1998 / 10:42 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

The St. Louis Blues addressed their top free-agent priority Friday, and it was not Brett Hull.

Defenseman Al MacInnis, called the team's MVP by general manager Larry Pleau, signed a three-year, $15 million contract that includes a no-trade clause and makes him the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL. The Blues also extended the contract of coach Joel Quenneville, who has a .578 winning percentage in 1 1/2 seasons, for two years.

The signings are the first step in a busy off-season for the Blues, who also have to decide whether to re-sign Hull, Geoff Courtnall and Steve Duchesne. All can become unrestricted free agents July 1, and team president Mark Sauer reiterated the team can't keep them all.

"No way," Sauer said. "We've said that from way back when."

The Blues are talking with agents for Courtnall and Duchesne, but won't re-open discussions with Hull, their career scoring leader, until after he becomes a free agent.

In March, Hull rejected the same money MacInnis is getting because of his desire for a no-trade clause. MacInnis turned down a three-year, $12 million deal at the same time because the Blues at the time were requiring him to undergo shoulder surgery, then pass a physical after several months of rehabilitation.

That deal also included a $1 million buyout if MacInnis couldn't pass the physical.

But MacInnis was perhaps the Blues' best player in the playoffs, and team doctors no longer believe that MacInnis, who will be 35 next month, will require an operation.

"That changed our whole outlook," Pleau said. "Everyone within our hockey department agrees that Al is our most valuable player."

It changed it so much the Blues added an extra $1 million a year to keep MacInnis and the no-trade clause.

Quenneville led the team to fourth overall at 45-29-8 in the NHL.

He would have been entering the final year of a three-year contract next season and was happy to get a clearer picture of his future.

"The 1 ½ years we've been here has been nothing but a joy," Quenneville said. "And I'm extremely happy we have Al MacInnis. That's a lot better than my news."

The Blues also signed forward Terry Yake to a three-year deal. Yake had 10 goals and 15 assists in 65 games.