Latest news with #Perunovich
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Perunovich Needed Fresh Start, Blues Gave Hobey Baker Award Winner One
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.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Islanders acquire D Scott Perunovich in trade with Blues
The Islanders have acquired defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Perunovich has appeared in 24 games this season, recording two goals and four assists. He was originally selected in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft out of the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he took home the Hobey Baker Award after producing six goals and 34 assists during his senior season. He also represented the United States at the 2018 World Junior Championships and 2023 World Championships. Perunovich recently found himself on the outside looking in at playing time with St. Louis, having appeared in just two games since the calendar flipped to the new year. The offensive-minded defenseman should immediately find minutes with the Isles after Ryan Pulock landed on injured reserve earlier in the day with an upper-body injury suffered during Saturday's game.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blues Trade Perunovich To Islanders
ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues traded Scott Perunovich to the New York Islanders for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on Monday, ending a tumultuous time in St. Louis for the defenseman. The 2020 Hobey Baker Award winner has played in just 97 games in the NHL since the Blues drafted the left-handed blueliner in the second round in 2018, a career marred by injuries and never being able to climb the ladder of becoming a regular in the lineup. The Islanders can use another defenseman in light of an injury to Ryan Pulock. The Blues and Islanders also pulled off a trade together last season when the Blues sent veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo to New York when the Islanders were dealing with injuries. Perunovich, 26, has been a healthy scratch the past nine games and has played in just 24 games this season, scoring his first two NHL goals and having four assists. Perunovich has been the seventh defenseman for much of the season and most recently, the seventh D-man with Tyler Tucker passing him on the depth chart. When and if Nick Leddy (lower-body injury) returns to the lineup, it would have further moved Perunovich down the lineup. There has been obvious growing frustration by the player to be more of a player in the lineup but since Tucker's recall, that hasn't materialized. Perunovich has been healthy-scratched 26 games this season. Overall, Perunovich has 29 points (two goals, 27 assists) spanning three seasons; he was forced to miss the 2022-23 regular-season with a broken left clavicle.
