Sundqvist Turned Down Guarantees to Come Back Here

Oskar Sundqvist signed with St. Louis without a one-way guarantee, passing up other organizations that reportedly would have offered him that security. He's a Stanley Cup champion with this franchise — he was part of the 2019 title run — and apparently that mattered more than a safer contract elsewhere. He'll have to earn a roster spot at camp.

That's a notable thing for a veteran to do, particularly for a team that went 37-45 last season and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Sundqvist knows what this organization looks like right now. He signed anyway.

The Blues have added pieces this offseason — McTavish, McMichael, Carlo — but the roster still has real questions, and camp competition is genuine. Sundqvist isn't walking into a guaranteed role. For a player with his history here, fighting for a job is a choice, not a circumstance.

Whether he makes the team is a camp story. The fact that he wanted to be here badly enough to take the risk is worth noting on its own.