Perunovich Needed Fresh Start, Blues Gave Hobey Baker Award Winner One

Yahoo

29-01-2025

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- It was bound to happen sooner rather than later, and once Doug Armstrong found a taker, it was a chance for defenseman Scott Perunovich to begin anew.
The St. Louis Blues dealt the 2020 Hobey Baker Award winner and second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft on Monday to the New York Islanders for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2026.
Perunovich, who had an assist in his Islanders debut on Tuesday in a 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, was not playing for the Blues and was being passed up on the depth chart, first by the acquisition of Cam Fowler, then when the Blues recalled Tyler Tucker from Springfield, he's played well and kept Perunovich seated.
Something had to give.
'I want to thank him and wish him well first and foremost,' Armstrong, the Blues' general manager, said. 'I talked to the coach [Jim Montgomery] over the last little while and he didn't see a future to get him into the lineup here, so when an opportunity came here to give him the chance to play and the Islanders were interested, it seemed something that made sense for us to help him along and wish him nothing but the best. He's obviously a great talent in college hockey, won a Hobey Baker. Hopefully he can take those skills to the Island and have great success.'
Since Montgomery replaced Drew Bannister as coach Nov. 24, Perunovich played in 11 games under Montgomery, garnering three assists and was a plus-2. But once Tucker got called up on Dec. 18, it reduced Perunovich's time drastically.
He had not gotten any footing with the Blues in his three seasons playing here, mainly early on due to injury, but given the opportunity this past training camp to potentially be a fixture among the blueliners, it just didn't materialize.
'I think the acquisition of Fowler giving us another offensive-minded, smooth-skating, puck-moving defenseman, and then you combine that with the development of Tucker and how well he's been and his transitioning of pucks has really aided our team,' Montgomery said. 'I think those couple of things unfortunately not giving him the opportunity that maybe everyone or he was hoping for.
'I think it's great that 'Army' has moved him on because he gets the opportunity to go and see in New York if he can do the job.'
The Blues do gain $1.15 million in cap space with the trade, so from a financial standpoint, it's not only helping the player move on but also helping their financial situation.