David Perron is set for a third tour of duty with the Blues. Center Tyler Bozak, 32, is ending a nine-year run with the Toronto Maple Leafs to join the Blues.
And there's a new backup goalie in town in Chad Johnson, who played for Buffalo last season and signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Blues.
Little more than a half hour after the start of the NHL free-agent period, the Blues made if official on all three players.
Perron has signed a four-year deal worth $4 million per year to return to St. Louis. Bozak, who had 11 goals and 32 assists last season for the Maple Leafs, signed a three-year deal worth $5 million per year.
The money paid to Bozak effectively ends the pursuit of Buffalo's Ryan O'Reilly via trade.
Perron, who was exposed by the Blues a year ago in the expansion draft and was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights, had 16 goals and 50 assists for 66 points for the Knights. Both the assist and overall point totals were career highs for Perron, who spent his first six NHL seasons with the Blues (2007-13) and then returned for a year in 2016-17.
A right-handed shot, Perron is expected to fill a top-six role for the team at forward.
Also, in a depth move, the Blues are signing forward Brian Flynn according to TSN's Bob McKenzie. Flynn has played 275 NHL games but spent the entire 2017-18 season playing for the Texas Stars in the American Hockey League.
But the Blues suffered a couple free-agent defections as well Sunday. As expected Blues goalie Carter Hutton is off to Buffalo, signing a three-year deal worth $2.75 million per year. The Blues were in the running as late as Saturday, but going to Buffalo gives Hutton a chance to be a No. 1 goalie for the first time in his career.
And Kyle Brodziak, a fourth-line stalwart for the Blues, is headed to Edmonton.
Elsewhere in a bit of a surprise, former Blues center Paul Stastny is headed to the Vegas Golden Knights in a three-year deal worth more than $6 million a year. He had been linked to Colorado and Winnipeg _ where he finished the season after a trade deadline deal from the Blues.
