Martin St. Louis, the diminutive NHL forward most recently of the New York Rangers, reportedly isn't yet sure what direction the next branch of his NHL path will take.
According to a report from ESPN NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun, St. Louis' hockey future remains very much in the air on the eve of the 2015-16 NHL free agency period.
"Martin St. Louis isn't sure whether his NHL career will continue or not at this point, a source with knowledge of his situation told ESPN.com.
"A lot of that will depend on what's presented to him once the free-agent market opens Wednesday, and how his family feels about what's out there."
Per LeBrun, St. Louis has continued his normal offseason training regimen and is approaching the process as if he'll be playing somewhere next season.
Where, of course, that could end up being, is anyone's guess at this point and, per LeBrun, likely to have a major impact on whether St. Louis continues what has already to this point been a Hall of Fame worthy career comprised of 16 NHL seasons.
"He is training hard and working out as if he's playing again next season, the source said. But it's going to depend on the level of interest and which teams contact him starting Wednesday. It's got to be the right fit.
"Given that he and his family live in Connecticut where his wife is from, the family's overall input will loom large, no question about it, and staying East would be paramount. The cap-strapped New York Rangers can't partake, of course."
The Rangers have approximately $12.6 million in cap space at the moment, per NHLNumbers.com. The team currently has 11 forwards under contract and New York GM Glen Sather still needs to hammer out a deal for young forward Derek Stepan, along with J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast and the recently acquired Emerson Etem.
St. Louis made $5.625 million last season during the final year of a four-year, $22.5 million contract he originally signed with the Lightning. He proved a key cog for an unexpected Rangers run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013-14 and became something of a periphery piece during the New York run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2014-15.
Considering he just recently turned 40 and was only able to manage one goal in 19 playoff games this past season, it won't be surprising if interest in his services this offseason isn't high. He did score 21 goals in the regular season though, so an east coast team looking for a strong veteran presence could bring St. Louis in for one final go-round in 2015-16.
