St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced Monday the club has re-signed goaltender Brian Elliott to a three-year contract.
“Brian will team up next year with Jake Allen to provide our goaltending tandem. We’re looking forward to those two guys competing and performing well. At the trade deadline, we took a calculated gamble of bringing in Ryan and we didn’t have the success that we needed as an organization … certainly not all reflective on Ryan,” Doug Armstrong said. “It’s a team game and as an organization we are responsible.”
Armstrong added that the terms of the trade, which included a conditional first-round pick were the Blues to re-sign Miller, played a role in the teams internal calculus not to offer Miller a contract. “[There were] additional payments necessary to Buffalo if we signed Ryan, Armstrong explained. “That would have been basically moving back a full round in the draft … and we just felt at this time, it was better for us to go with Ellliott and Jake Allen.”
Elliott, 29, appeared in 31 regular season games last season, posting an 18-6-2 record while ranking 11th in both save percentage (.922) and shutouts (4), and second with a 1.96 goals-against average.
The 6-foot-2, 209-pound goaltender has spent his past three campaigns with the Blues, including 2011-12, when he set single-season franchise records in save percentage (.940), goals-against average (1.56) and shutouts (9) en route to earning the 2012 Jennings Trophy.
Over the past three seasons, Elliott ranks second overall (at least 50 games played) with a .680 win percentage (55-24-7), while his 16 shutouts not only lead the League, but are tied for second in Blues franchise history.
Overall, Elliott has appeared in seven NHL seasons, including stints with Ottawa, Colorado and St. Louis. He has accumulated a 116-77-23 record, including a 2.48 goals-against average, .910 save-percentage and 25 shutouts in 235 career regular season games.
In addition, Elliott has dressed in 18 career postseason games, posting a 6-10 record, including a 2.55 goals against average and a .898 save percentage.
The Newmarket, Ontario native was originally signed by the Blues as a free agent on July 1, 2011.
