The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Jake Neighbours to a two-year, $7.5 million contract extension ($3.75 average annual value), the team announced Tuesday.
Neighbours, 22, was in the final year of his entry-level contract. He was the Blues’ first-round draft pick in 2020 (No. 26).
In 2023-24, his second full season in the NHL, Neighbours broke out with 27 goals and 38 points in 77 games. There were no contract negotiations this summer, but it was a priority for the club to re-sign him before he became an restricted free agent next summer and had the ability to sign an offer sheet.
The two sides elected for a “bridge” deal, which means Neighbours gets a significant raise from his current salary of $835,834, but the Blues aren’t commiting long-term yet to a player with only one season of that type of production.
In six games this season, Neigbours has two goals and three points, including the game-winning goal in last week’s 1-0 overtime victory over the New York Islanders.
Neighbours’ new contract will begin at the start of the 2025-26 season, and he will remain an RFA when the deal expires.
(Photo: James Guillory / USA Today)
