That expected contract between the St. Louis Blues and unrestricted free agent goaltender Martin Brodeur? Yeah, it happened.
Brodeur is no longer a free agent after signing a one-year, $700,000 contract that includes bonuses shortly after practice on Tuesday, according to Lou Korac of NHL.com.
"It feels great," Brodeur told stlouisblues.com. "I really appreciate the opportunity for me to be here the last few days. It definitely worked out real well. I'm excited for this fresh start."
The team announced the signing in style, including a short teaser trailer on their Twitter account that shows Brodeur's nameplate being stitched to the back of a white road jersey.
This is precisely where Brodeur is expected to make his Blues debut, according to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports. The team's next two games are on the road, Wednesday in Chicago against the Blackhawks and Thursday in Nashville against the Predators.
It is not certain yet which of the games the 42-year-old Brodeur will appear in, but head coach Ken Hitchcock was adamant that the NHL's all-time leader in wins (688) and shutouts (124) will get plenty of chances to play.
"If he's here, he's going to play," Hitchcock said. "We'll figure out what game it is and what games they are, but if he's here, he's going to play. He's not going to back up."
The Blues brought in Brodeur on a tryout basis after starter Brian Elliott went down with a lower-body injury. Rookie backup Jake Allen didn't have a veteran presence behind him - or in front of him. Hitchcock's quote seems to point to a starting role for Brodeur.
The team reached out to Brodeur, initially to gauge the shape he was in and see if he was still able to compete at a high enough level, and now he's a full member of the team.
"Marty still has the desire to compete and his resume speaks for itself," said Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. "It seemed like an easy solution."
